A nine-day celebration of cultural diversity has begun in Belfast.
The Belfast Mela is Northern Ireland’s largest festival of cultural diversity and organisers say Saturday’s parade sends a message that Belfast is a welcoming and diverse city.
The parade ran from Writers’ Square to Belfast City Hall and councillors said the event symbolised the “real Belfast”.
The weather may have been wet and rainy, but colorful floats, costumes and dancers ensured the city was awash in color.
The festival has been held in Northern Ireland for 18 years and attracts thousands of people.
Nisha Tandon, one of the organizers, said it was important for the mela to take place this month despite the recent spate of racist attacks.
“We need to bring everyone together and send a positive message that we are here, we are here to stay and we are not going to take your jobs,” she said.
“All the stereotypes that people have in their heads – I think that needs to be brought to the surface and discussed. And more interculturalism should be happening.”
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, who was at the carnival, told BBC News NI he had met the business owners who had been attacked in recent weeks.
“They are surprisingly resilient people given the terrifying experiences they have been through, and it is important that we all stand in solidarity with them,” he said.
“Racist attacks do not represent the real Belfast or Northern Ireland – today they do.”
Some parts of England have also faced weeks of violent unrest and many have been charged and convicted since then.
“If you look at the UK as a whole, the number of people who have been charged and given very harsh sentences, it sends a clear message: if you think you can riot without consequences, well, you can’t, and the law is coming after you,” he added.
Belfast city councillor Paul Doherty said it was “hugely important” that the mela took place.
“This is the real Belfast we see today, full of colour, full of diversity and people coming together as a community,” he said.
“The message is – Belfast is open, Belfast is welcome. We are a diverse city and we are all better for it. We are seeing a lot of people coming here today who were scared last week, coming and enjoying this day.”
‘Pray for peace’
Shivata Bhat, who is originally from India but has lived in Belfast for 10 years, said the mela was a “wonderful event”.
“Despite the events that are happening, we are still motivated to come to the mela and bring everyone together, celebrate, be happy and pray for peace,” she said.
She admitted she was a little apprehensive about going to the festival, but “seeing everyone mingling and celebrating the colors was really cool.”
Audrey Doherty is originally from Dublin but has lived in Northern Ireland for 20 years.
“It’s really important to celebrate diversity, to introduce our children to different diversities, different cultures, different religions and make sure they see that this is completely normal — everyone is the same,” she said.
Ms Doherty said she was “a little bit worried” about attending after the recent disorder, but said it was “really well organised”.
A full list of festival events can be found here.
The event culminates with Mela Day on Monday, August 26, at the Botanical Gardens, featuring music, dance, food and art performances celebrating the city’s culture and communities.
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