It had been a long time since lunch when I arrived at the Gorbals Parish Church last night for Movin’ On Up, a collaboration between Bridging the Gap, a local community project aiming to support young people, families and community inclusion, and Givin’ It Laldie, the Gorbals Community Choir. I was worried that my stomach would rumble through the performance – I shouldn’t have!
A warm welcome
I arrived to a room full of colourful stalls representing the different immigrant communities which have arrived in the area over the years. My belly was swiftly filled with pakora, soda bread, smoked salmon and sweets from around the globe. Enthusiastic local volunteers soon introduced me to the poetry of Hafez, translated my name into five different languages and showed me how they make bread in Eritrea (on a special pan before scoring it like a spider-web).
Givin’ it Laldie!
We then drifted through to watch the main event of the evening, a performance of the choir. The story of the Gorbals was brought to life through pictures, readings and songs. We learned about the different waves of immigration, from the Highlanders cleared from the land in the 1200’s to asylum seekers arriving in the area since 2000 and saw the regeneration currently changing the face of the area once again.
Afterwards I spoke to choir-members who told me how they enjoyed being in the choir and how much the night had meant to them. Audience members spoke of how much they had learned and how cleverly the photos, singing and spoken word had been used, with the different types of media complimenting each other until we were all “nearly greetin'”.
I left with my handbag stuffed with recipes and a huge respect for the staff and volunteers who had put together such a warm and welcoming event which taught me a huge amount and really celebrated the rich heritage of the area.
