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Cam
Diary: Nabeel Park, Bradfordistan
Sir Cam
Herein
was a mighty fusion of cultures: Eastern, Western, English,
Pakistani, Indian, African, Arab and others — a potpourri
of sounds, smells, and sights
Peel
Park in Bradford was the venue for Europe’s largest
mela last weekend. The mela is also the largest free event
in Yorkshire. Bradford, which is famous for its large Pakistani
community, is often called ‘mini Pakistan’ or
‘Bradfordistan’. Little wonder, then, that this
community has popularised the word mela and that the city
is now home to this internationally renowned festival.
“A
wonderful showcase for local and international artists,”
is how Bradford’s Mayor described the event. A ‘celebration
of Bradford at its best’, said the organisers of the
mela. ‘Marvellous Mela’, said my daughter as we
sauntered in the sprawling grounds of Peel Park. Up and down
the hills we went, like in the musical The Sound of Music.
But here the sounds were Asian.
And
the smells were, well, Bradfordelicious! “Hmm, lovely
kebab. A can of Qiblah cola as well, please.” The mela
market, fun fair and local community stalls seemed to stretch
on endlessly. The atmosphere of the place was hardly that
of a northern England city.
Herein
was a mighty fusion of cultures: Eastern, Western, English,
Pakistani, Indian, African, Arab and others — a potpourri
of sounds, smells, and sights. A mullah next to a punk, the
mini-skirted Yorkshire lass alongside a hijab-wearing Mirpuri
girl, the Zulu warriors dancing with bhangra rappers, and
‘Arab Sheikh Kebab’ embracing ‘Indian Onion
Bhaji’. Theplace was Bradfordelightful!
“Are
Junoon performing here?” someone asked me. Don’t
be daft mate! Junoon were in London, at that Rhythms of Indus
function at the Royal Albert Hall. You know, the one attended
by General Musharraf during his trip to England last week.
Among the top names appearing at the Bradford mela this year
were Apache Indian (remember the hit “Boomshackalak”?),
bhangra man Malkit Singh, soul singer Lemar of Fame Academy,
and Asian comedian Jeff Mirza.
Fun>Da>Mental
(FDM), the radical ‘global chaos’ or world music
group, were on stage collaborating with the Mighty Zulu Nation
of South Africa. It was an electrifying fusion of Afro-Asian
beats, of qawwali, rap, punk and Bollywood. It’s a wonder
how calm and friendly people like Aki Nawaz and Dave Watts
of FDM transform into highly charged beings on the stage.
They certainly perform with feeling, bursting with energy.
Aki,
or Haq Nawaz Qureshi, is a Bradford lad — a second generation
Pakistani. He established Nation Records in 1988 and formed
FDM in 1991 as a means to enable greater cultural interactions,
to experiment in world music, as well as to provide a platform
for addressing political issues and raise a voice against
racism and injustice. At the mela, for instance, he criticised
Blair’s support for the invasion and occupation of Iraq
and dedicated one tune to ‘the women of Bosnia’.
An
integral part of FDM’s work is collaboration with other
artistes. “When we collaborate with anyone,” said
Aki when I interviewed him, “we try to maintain the
integrity of the original qawwali, Zulu singers or whoever.
It’s not about FDM taking the limelight. We once did
live collaborations with Aziz Mian. Aziz Mian was my dad’s
hero and suddenly I was on stage with him! It was really difficult,
but interesting”. FDM’s collaboration with the
Mighty Zulu Nation at the mela worked really well. Chief Aki
and his team-mates have a knack for concocting some delicious
global music dishes.
When
I was a kid in nearby Huddersfield, my father would often
to take us on the half-hour drive to Bradford for a meal at
a Pakistani restaurant. A trip to Bradford’s Lumb Lane
used to be an exciting affair for the family. As a Bradford
lad, did Aki, too, remember Lumb Lane (most of the Pakistani
area there has since been demolished)? His reply was, “Yes.
We used to go there every Sunday morning on our bikes for
halva purree!”
I’m
sure Dr Salman Ahmad of Lahore also knows a thing or two about
halva purree. In fact, the Lahoris know a lot about eating.
To my amazement, Salman was at the mela. On stage. “Ladies
and gentlemen... Junoon!” But Junoon were not listed
in the programme. Perhaps the person who had enquired about
them was right after all.
There
was a big roar of welcome. Yes, here in Bradford was ‘South
Asia’s biggest rock band’. On stage were the three
members of Junoon: guitarists Salman and Brian rooted on the
right and left side of the stage, and singer Ali prancing
about in the centre. They opened up with an instrumental version
of Pakistan’s national anthem, and then launched into
their popular tunes, such as Jazba Junoon and Sayonee. The
youthful crowd went mad: ‘sayoneeee’ they chanted,
waving Pakistani flags, raising arms, doing bhangra.
All
in all, a fantastically enjoyable mela, and a great day for
the family. On the way out I noticed a statue of a prominent
local man in the park. It was Mr Peel himself, the man after
whom the park was named. On closer inspection I saw that someone
had changed the ‘P’ of ‘Peel’ to a
‘B’ and added ‘N’ and ‘A’
to it so that it now read ‘Nabeel’. Nabeel Park,
Bradfordistan: “I woz ‘ere, June 21, 2003”!
—
Sir Cam, Cambridge, England.
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