December 15, 2023, by Arts Placements
Being Human Festival – My Experience!
Being Human Festival – My Experience!
By Fidji Gomis-Mendy
I thoroughly enjoyed helping out with the Being Human Festival this semester through the Faculty of Arts placement scheme. The festival celebrates the Arts and Humanities through events and workshops that range from being interactive (such as clay making) and performative (theatre performances). I liked the fact that my knowledge was broadened through this festival, as I find it quite difficult to find events and exhibitions from the cultural sector being a student. Though it was a short space of time, I find myself wanting to be more enriched by this sector and possibly play a part in it, in the future.
The Experience
Behind the scenes, my team emailed academics and Box Offices to ensure they were on board with the events. We researched community centres, and curated family-friendly programmes online. As well as working behind the scenes of the festival, attending the events was one of my favourite tasks! I want to shine a light on the ‘Rhymes and Reasons of Nottingham’s Multilingualism’ Event at Broadway Cinema. I used my linguistic skills communicating with staff and the public, ensuring everyone was comfortable and engaged with the event. In addition, it was amazing working and speaking with the staff and exhibitors!
I got to know a bit more about who they were and why they loved languages! The public had a choice to; write a phrase from a language of their choice on a piece of clay, state a word or phrase from their language and write its translation on post-it notes, have their voice and the words they say translated into a different language, and translate a German rap. Though it was cold and a quiet day in Hockley, the enthusiastic and versatile participation of everyone there made me more eager to learn how vernacular and culture go hand in hand. Language connects all of us in such beautiful ways!
Moving Forward…
Being an Events and Promotion officer allowed me to feel involved in the academic/university community. I maintained communication with academics and the public on a continuous cycle as well as posting on social media. Applying my skills and knowledge in communication, cultural capital and engagement during the placement, demonstrated how I could put my degree in International Media and Communication Studies to good use. I loved the fact that I felt comfortable with the people I met during my placement. The people and the environment you keep yourself in make the work a thousand times better. In the future, I hope to not only put my love for all things cultural towards my career but keep up and improve the languages that I know.
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