Case Study: Sandwell and Birmingham MELA
Making in the most of… creativity and performance at MELA
Birmingham MELA (also known as Sandwell and Birmingham MELA), established in 2011, is the “biggest South Asian music festival” of its kind across the UK and Europe. The 2023 festival was held in Victoria Park, Smethwick on the weekend of 22-23 July and attracted over 60,000 visitors. The festival features a varied programme of well-known performers and upcoming “home-grown talent”, together with a variety of stalls, creative activities and other entertainments.
“Music, dance, food, arts and crafts bring the sights, sounds and spicy aromas of South Asia to Victoria Park, Smethwick” (www.birminghammela.com)
Beyond the main festival weekend, the organisation behind MELA has begun to programme work in other geographic areas, such as the Halifax MELA. They also liaise with a number of corporate companies in an advisory capacity, helping to create Diwali events and advising how they should celebrate the festival.
A current priority for Birmingham MELA is exploring and developing partnerships, both economic and voluntary, to help ensure the longevity of the festival. For example, Spotify and Lidl were headline sponsors for the 2023 festival. As its founder and organiser, Danny Singh wishes to make MELA sustainable and relevant to future audiences, keeping abreast of changes in the local community. All direct quotes in this case study are drawn from an interview we conducted with Danny.
The MELA and CBC working together since 2016
Birmingham MELA has a long-standing partnership with CBC, dating back to 2016/17. As well as supporting with creative activity, CBC initially took a more proactive and collaborative role in the curation of the annual festival, taking the lead on aspects such as project management, recruiting producers, contracting and commissioning. In this way, they helped MELA to establish sound practices when working at scale, as well as supporting the development of their short-term vision and planning. Over time, the MELA team has become more independent and autonomous, taking responsibility for project management, recruitment and commissioning etc, whilst CBC have still actively supported with creative activities, advice and aspects such as marketing.
“We have a strong relationship [with CBC] and want to make it even stronger”
Supporting an ‘Arts Village’ at MELA
A highlight of the annual festival is the on-site Arts Village, which MELA describe as “a huge success” and “the main outcome” of their partnership with CBC, who provided the initial inspiration for it. In 2023, CBC joined a partnership project: the MELA Arts Village, which involved supporting MELA to co-produce a programme of outdoor activity for the village. In this most recent festival, it was simply entitled “The Village” and had a Pride focus, celebrating LGBTQ+ talent and supporting South Asian LGBTQ+ communities. This showcased both CBC’s and MELA’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
“Without CBC we wouldn’t have the Arts Village. If we didn’t get their support, that would never have happened”
Birmingham MELA have cultivated an excellent, dedicated working relationship with CBC and have grown to value their operational and strategic advice, to the point that “we always run ideas past them”. As well as offering advisory support, CBC have “always been able to signpost… and open avenues [elsewhere] for us”, generously connecting MELA with other potential partners. CBC have also supported the MELA team with the development of Arts Council funding bids, and feel that “having CBC as a partner – both financially and as strategic support – really puts us on the map and highlights us”.
“The partnership is really great. We can pick up the phone and speak to Sajida or Parminder when we are in trouble or need advice. They are there to reach out and they can also reach out to us. It’s a really healthy relationship. It’s about making that connection”
In the future, MELA is planning to develop nationally, beyond the two-day Birmingham festival. They envisage fostering links and setting up similar festivals in other regions, and hope that CBC, despite its Black Country focus, can be the “bridge” helping them to forge meaningful connections and join up with partners elsewhere in the UK. Moving forward, MELA hopes to continue working with CBC and positive conversations have already taken place about how CBC might best support their plans and aspirations.
“Our collaboration with the MELA has been marked by resilience, growth, and unwavering dedication. From humble beginnings of delivering taster workshops to supporting an Arts Village. Our partnership has evolved into a beacon of community unity and artistic expression. Together, we've weathered storms, both literal and metaphorical, overcoming challenges with creativity and determination. We look forward to supporting the MELA come rain, storms or sunshine!” (Feedback from CBC)