policy brief
BSWN Bristol
Labour Market Policy Brief

It is clear how ethnic disparities within the labour market are linked to other disparities in policy such as housing, and influenced by national crises such as the cost of living crisis. Issues within the labour market leads to wage disparity between minoritised communities and their White counterparts.

Labour Market Policy Brief
BSWN Bristol
My experience of the Telling Stories Event as ...

The Telling Stories event on 22nd November 2022, was a powerful, social and introspective conversation about the art of storytelling. I know this because I was there. It asked critical questions that were extremely thought-provoking about how the UnMuseum project (as it stands today with this name) will tell stories. But it was also a general conversation for storytellers in all modes and forms, as well as an educational one.

My experience of the Telling Stories Event as an Attendee

Mina Drobna

World Creativity and Innovation Day: Black & Asian VCSE organisations responding to Covid-19

The World Creativity and Innovation Day is held every year on the 21st April, highlighting the creative ways local people including artists and innovators improve the way we work, meet and live in our communities. Part of Black South West Network’s (BSWN) ethos is to recognise that creativity and support the innovative ways in which Black and South Asian communities in Bristol and the South West of England are unique to their experience and cultural perspective.

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade blog

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade blog

The upcoming International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade on 25th March and the anniversary of the Rwanda genocide on 7th April provide an opportunity for us all to honour and remember the victims of all forms of inhumanity and genocide. It is also a time to bring awareness about victims of modern slavery and current ongoing crime against humanity.

BSWN Heritage team has a new member

The BSWN Heritage team is growing, excited to work with cultural heritage institutions and BAME-led organisations in the region! Joining our team in January 2020 is Christelle Pellecuer in her role as Cultural Heritage Manager. Christelle has background in education having work for several years in research Council and universities in programme/project management role with an international focus. She has experience of working with Cultural Heritage while working at The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for 9 years.

Christelle is the founder of Razana Afrika, who has lead a project called  “African queen”, which started as a photographic storytelling of real life African queens. As Ann extension to this project she has written a short film called “Golden Goddesss” based on the African Goddess Oshun. Christelle is currently developing the “African King” project.

Christelle has a special interest in fashion and textile. She is a professionally trained makeup artist with experience of working advertising campaigns, magazine shoots, films and TV shows. Her interest in African visual culture and history has led to organise several fashion shows in the community  with special focus  on work from designers from Africa and the diaspora. She curated a fashion show at Spike Island focused on Kanga cloth in connection to the Zanzibar-born artist Lubaina Himid, she rated a fashion show at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in connection to their Fabric Africa exhibition. She will be curating a fashion show at RWA on 20th February, in the exhibition space of “Africa state of Mind”. Christelle is a presenter at Imperial Voice Radio based at Fairfield House and host “Fashion Rendezvous” show.

“ I am very excited to join BSWN and work on the ICH project. I am very interested in material culture and the importance of documenting our stories for future generation. Intangible culture is not so well documented in the heritage sector and this is an area BSWN can make a difference for the Black and Asian community.”

Christelle Pellecuer.jpg

BSWN Black-led Heritage organisation support Case Study: Kuungana Kuungana

BSWN were introduced to Zulayiha from a local heritage and history project Kuungana Kuungana at a BSWN Voluntary and Community Sector network meeting in August 2019. She approached BSWN to ask for support with a project idea which consisted of planning and organising a series of Black History events in the city. The events were to be very much community focused, with a view to invite black historians and members of the public to share knowledge in the form of a number of regular engaging weekend events.

Kuungana’s commitment to honouring and showcasing black heritage is reflected in their mission statement; “We would like to promote the history and the culture of Africa through our African eyes and intellectuals! We do not want our history to be presented by others anymore but by our African intellectuals. That’s why Kuungana will be only produced with African writers, poets, authors, intellects, scientists and so on.”

During the initial stage, we helped Kuungana assess which project needs, and asked them to produce a clear project outline which they produced swiftly and enthusiastically. The greatest barrier to their project sustainability was lack of funding. In order to support their work, we offered Kuungana the opportunity to have a number of surgeries with Sona Mahtani, founder of Beyond Just Now and BSWN community development associate. Sona supported the project in formulating a fundraising strategy which included:

  • setting up of Go Fund Me page which raised £741 to date

  • advertised their project and funding site on Ujima radio to raise local awareness of their

    project and passion

  • and applying with the Quartet Community Foundation for a project grant

    As application for grant funding required the project to hold a bank account, BSWN agreed to act as the grant holder organisation, receiving funds on their behalf in order to prevent this barrier from impacting their chances at receiving a grant. Zulayiha was happy to share that “Thanks to BSWN, we are doing so well. Thanks for your support”.

BSWN attends the Social Enterprise World Forum 2019 in Ethiopia!

Thanks to a grant from the British Council, our director Sado Jirde and colleague, Angelique Retief (who is completing her PhD on the role of social enterprise in reducing inequalities in South Africa), were given the fantastic opportunity to attend the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) 2019 in Ethiopia. Alongside the University of Bristol, they were sponsored by the Festival of the Future City Social Innovation Grant. Funded by the British Council, the focus of this is to help facilitate international collaboration among cities by testing the impact of international sharing and experience on individuals and micro-organisations who would normally not have the opportunity to work internationally. 

BAME Enterprise Hub Design workshop

BSWN is currently moving forward into the next phase of its economic inclusion programme and developing a prospectus that will include:

1. a visual representation of the BAME Enterprise Hub internal and external design;

2. a more refined set of the services it will offer;

3. a detailed framework of the social and financial benefits it will bring to the city. 

We would like to thank all the participants who joined the design workshop for the BAME Enterprise Hub. BSWN wants to ensure that the Hub remains fully owned by the BAME Business community in Bristol, and therefore looks forward to collating your views to inform the final prospectus.