Above: artwork by Ana Jaks
Q. What is POC IOM?
A. In a nutshell, POC IOM aka. People of Colour Isle of Man is a grassroots organisation made up of 8 core members who are dedicated to providing a safe space where POC Manx residents feel seen, supported and celebrated. We aim to provide educational resources and training on the nuances around racism and race to the Manx population.
Q. Tell us about the Culture Festival and its aims.
Nothing says summer quite like a festival and to celebrate how far we have all come in a year, we wanted to create an event that truly celebrates our wonderfully diverse island as we see it as such a blessing to be surrounded by people from around the world.
Our vision for this festival is for people to come away having learned something new about the ever changing Isle of Man community - whether that's trying a new cuisine, attending one of the educational workshops, or simply surrounding yourself with new people.
Q. In a post Black Lives Matter world, awareness and education around the POC community has increased significantly. Why is it important to have events like these to further raise awareness and celebrate our diverse culture?
Black Lives Matter often comes with its own baggage of being seen as purely political and separate from the people it actually directly impacts. We’ll never truly be in a ‘post BLM’ world however the increase in awareness and education around the POC community has been incredible. Events like Culture Fest aim to unite people from all walks of life in a fun filled atmosphere that also provides education and awareness about our diverse culture.
Q. What role do you feel that the Arts play in raising awareness and education around POC issues?
Art is an integral part of a culture weaved into all aspects of life. Through the way we decorate our houses, our skin and our clothes, art acts as a window through which we can explore and learn about different cultures through the lens of the people who are part of it.
In all of its forms, art has the power to express sentiments better than a simple sentence ever could. It acts as a connecting factor. In a world where there are so many exterior factors trying to divide us, art is our universal lingua franca reconnecting us to our humanity and allowing us to explore common ground with people who on the outside may seem like our polar opposites but with whom we have more in common than we could have ever imagined.
Art gives us the gift of sharing our most intimate thoughts and feelings with others in a language that they too can resonate with. It sparks conversations and curiosity, and allows us to analyse not only the cold hard facts but the feelings behind an action.
When it comes to education, art is pivotal in providing the golden string that people of all ages can resonate with and feel free to express themselves when words seem daunting.
Q. What kind of arts activities and artists can we expect to see at the event?
Culture fest is overflowing with art in all it’s expressions from crafts to music to food, we’ve got you covered.
For our younger friends and young souls, there will be free entertainment including Palettes Face Painting and the chance to win coupons to use at the Craftwork Studio stall on the day and for our 18+ attendees who are in need of a music fix, let’s just say, they won’t be disappointed as we are joined by some of our favourite local musicians who will have us dancing all day and for those who want to carry on dancing all night, we have partnered with Peggy’s who will be hosting our after party!
Throughout the day there will be a number of workshops focussing on interactive learning and you will also have access to a plethora of arts and crafts stalls by local artisans.
Q. What are you most looking forward to about the event?
Seeing it all come together and everyone (hopefully) having a great time and learning about our incredible communities.
Q. What’s next for POC and where can we follow?
POC IOM is a collective that is continuing to grow and evolve just like the people that created it. We have a few exciting gigs lined up for this next year especially when it comes to continuing to educate, raise awareness and promote diversity in all walks of life, so watch this space!
If you want to find out more about us and what we do you can find us on Instagram @poc_iom, Twitter @poc_iom and Facebook POC IOM.
