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Bradford South Asian Heritage Forum ( BSAHF ) came about as a local grassroots response to the platforming of a national South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM), where Bradford, despite having a large South Asian population, was not included. In Summer 2020, a group of artists, community organisers, teachers, journalists, Women and of South Asian Heritage from Bradford decided to take on the challenge & came together as a collective to put on a festival . The festival content covered: art, heritage, music, dance, storytelling , as well as inviting people to engage in conversations around our lived experiences , with relevant historical and contemporary lenses. After 2 years of development and extensive evaluation , we have taken the decision to condense our main activities into an annual extended weekend festival format, continuing with the same principles and breadth of content. As part of this we have now re-branded as ‘Bradford South Asian Festival’ (BSAF). Our Forum takes a borderless approach recognising the importance of multi layered identities and shared heritage in the context of geography, politics, ethnicity & religion . It’s also a space for us and South Asian communities and others to be entertained and have fun marking all of what makes us who we are . We aim to celebrate, educate, collaborate & innovate. ‘Our Stories, Our Culture, Our Way’ – a space to tell stories where we can re-claim and re-write the narratives that have traditionally been told about us. Bradford South Asian Festival is a gift to our communities, driven and led by British-South Asians and we welcome people of all backgrounds to participate. We are a multi-lingual, woman-led team of volunteers, Bradford and Yorkshire born and bred, from a variety of professional backgrounds. We have a shared passion for grassroots arts and culture and engaging and energising creativity and talent in our communities ..

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Gigglawallahs audience voxes 2021. BCB Radio interview.

Who engaged Numbers Artists / Creatives / Contributors 94 Participants 1003 Live audiences 566 Broadcast or online audiences 437 Volunteers 6.

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From 27 th June Supermarket teasers Social Media adverts and teasers Volunteer Meet & Greet General festival information shared on the Big Screen – Bradford City Centre ‘What’s On’ section From 4 th July Fundraising activity Community Pop-Up session Further social media marketing Call Out for Pitch & Pair – Co-creation of new artworks From 11 th July Website launch #BradfordSAF2022 social media campaign launch with pop in city centre. Programme teaser Further social media presence One month to go - launch press release sent out to media contacts across print, radio and TV, with pictures and social media video short. Launch dinner at Aagrah restaurant, in collaboration with BAME Business Network. Presentation of 2020/2021 report and plans for 2022. From 18 th July Highlights of 2020/2021 festivals – spread in Asian Standard newspaper Programme flyers printed and distributed to key organisations. Community outreach sessions/pop ups hosted at South Asian-led community centres across district. ’Chai and chat’. Sponsored by local businesses. Attendance at Curry Festival (23 rd & 24 th July), including Roti competition.

2025 13K City of CLAture Bid.

‘Really interesting event – really accessible for someone who knew almost nothing about the mela. Great to hear people’s memories.’ ‘Good to be in St. Georges Hall again. Great venue for it. Good to be reminded of the Mela & Bradford’s cultural history’ ‘The talk from the calligrapher was educating and inspiring’ ‘High quality presentation/discussion and the chance to participate via the Zoom chat’ ‘I liked seeing everyone in the space, laughing’ ‘There was a variety of events…all about my identity’ ‘The in person events had a refreshing feeling, after lockdown’ ‘Wow…this looks fun, exciting, engaging, diverse. Looks like everyone involved had a happy times carrying them through the winter months!’ ‘its great to hear people who’ve spent time understanding Bradford’s uniqueness and can interpret this – both to locals and a wider audience.’ ‘Good to see more prominence of South Asian culture’ ‘I think it’s an amazing festival and needed in Bradford. It is colourful – stands out and it is diverse’ ‘Open discussion about how there should be an Asian Culture revival’ More words from audiences: Authenticity…Humour…friendly…funny….interesting…interacting….stimulating…. Inspiring….a trip down memory lane…educational…open discussion….excellent performers…challenging.

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Celebrate, Educate, Collaborate, Innovate. ‘Our Stories, Our Culture, Our Way’.

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