Library of Birmingham hosts Lok Virsa festival

A colourful one-day arts festival celebrating South Asian heritage is being staged at the Library of Birmingham next week.

Lok Virsa – Beyond Borders will feature free performances and workshops as part of a family day – linked to the Connecting Stories exhibition currently on display – at the Library of Birmingham on Saturday, 26 August 2017.

This pop-up festival, staged by the Sonia Sabri Company, will include traditional music, dancing, arts and crafts throughout the day from 11am to 4.30pm.

Visitors will also be able to try their hand at rangoli (art using natural materials such as chalk, rice, and flowers), calligraphy, dhol drumming and folk dancing.

Connecting Stories: Our British Asian Heritage – a project delivered in partnership with the British Library – explores Britain’s enduring relationship with South Asia celebrates and explores Birmingham’s history and identity as influenced by those connections.

This one-day festival also provides visitors with a chance to celebrate the wider diversity of Birmingham and to encourage audiences to connect with the stories about the city.

In Birmingham, this year has been designated as Utsav: Year of South Asian Culture to celebrate the contribution South Asian communities make to the city.

Utsav, meaning festival/celebration, was officially launched on 18 January 2017 and features a wide variety of professional and community events and activities throughout the year.

Connecting Stories is open at the Library of Birmingham until 4 November 2017

To find out more about Lok Virsa, visit: www.ssco.org.uk