Diversity Festival 2010
Programme of Events
Monday 22nd Feb – Friday 5th March
The Diversity Festival is open to all students, staff and members of the public (unless otherwise stated).
Using this programme
The programme has been separated into a Chester and Warrington section for easy navigation. Each section is then subdivided into event themes.
Use the hyperlinks to move through the programme by holding down control and clicking on the link for the section you want to review.
- Chester Events
- Warrington Events
Please note that this is the most up to date programme and supersedes the pdf glossy version
/ This document is available in alternative formats upon request.Chester
Programme of Events
Event types
Hyperlinks – Hold down control and click on the link
- Debate
- Workshops
- Films / Documentaries
- Food
- Public Lectures
- Theatre
- Exhibitions
- Social Experiments
- Faith / Religion
- Music
- Stands and Stalls
To book onto all events, unless otherwise stated, email or phone 01244 51 1138. Please include specific access requirements.
- Venue Details
- Acknowledgements
Further information:
(Ctrl + click)
Please note some events may be held during the weekends both preceding and following the main festival dates.
Debate
Question Time Candidates
Friday 26th February
6-7:30pm
Best 115, Chester
A Question Time style debate between the parliamentary candidates for Chester, focussing on their party and personal position on issues including Community Cohesion, Equality, Diversity and Human Rights. The panel includes Christine Russell MP (Labour), Stephen Mosley (Conservative), Elizabeth Jewkes (Liberal Democrats) and Allan Weddell (UKIP).
This is an exciting opportunity to question your future representatives about the issues that matter to you!
To submit audience questions email .
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Human Rights Moot
Wednesday 3rd March
1-2:30pm
Allen 010 (Moot Room), Chester
Law students will present a legal Moot (a debate on a legal question to a mock court) on a human rights question.
Workshops
Community, diversity and communication
Monday 22nd February
1-3pm
Chritchley 017, Chester
Dr Max Farrar, Emeritus Professor (Leeds University) will lead a workshop on community, diversity and communication including problems and possibilities of communicating in a community context. This session is part of the Undergraduate Module COMMUNICATION TOOLBOX 1, but interested parties are welcome to attend. (Synopsis may be subject to change)
Sign Language Taster Session
Monday 22nd February
2-4pm
Cloisters 102, Chester
Representatives from West Cheshire College’s Deaf Studies department will provide a session on the basics of sign language and will provide additional information if you would like to learn more.
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Diversity Essentials
Thursday 25th February
10am – 4pm,
Binks 106/1, Chester Campus
Do you sometimes feel the world has gone PC-mad? Do you worry about saying the wrong thing? This full day training session will explore the myths around diversity matters, cover all the key strands and enable you to go about your work feeling confident that you are aware of the key issues and are able to treat everyone with respect.
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Supporting Care Leavers
Thursday 25th February
10am – 11am, Rigg 101, Chester Campus, or;
3:30pm – 4:30pm, Molloy 102, Chester Campus
This workshop session will discuss the particular needs of students who have come to university from care backgrounds, such as foster care and care homes. The session will introduce staff to the support available at the University and to the members of staff who can provide advice and guidance. This session is specifically aimed at staff who support students, in particular Personal Academic Tutors (PAT's)
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Promoting and Reporting Equality through your Publications and Events
Thursday 25th February
12– 2pm,
Allen 016, Chester
Jill Stevens, Editor of ‘Equality & Diversity Professional’ will lead a workshop on utilising corporate publications and events to promote equality, diversity and inclusion. Anyone involved in marketing, PR, communications or events is welcome to attend. Lunch will be included.
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Trans Training for staff and students
Friday 26th February
10:30am-12noon,
Binks 106/1, Chester
TransWirral is an organisation for transsexual & intersex people who live in the North West. TransWirral provides a supportive environment for transsexual individuals helping them overcome their sense of isolation and providing educational and social opportunities.
Come along to this interactive training that will address common misconceptions, enable you to ask questions and gain lots of new information that will help you both personally and professionally.
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Epilepsy training
Monday 1st March
2-3:30pm,
Binks 106/1, Chester
Chris Seddon, Mersey Region Epilepsy Association will provide awareness training for anyone who may come into contact with students, colleagues or visitors with epilepsy.
Films / Documentaries
The Prince of Light - the Legend of Ramayana (2000)
Wednesday 24th February
5-6:30pm,
Cloisters 103, Chester
THE PRINCE OF LIGHT brings to the screen one of the most widely known epic tales of the Orient, the Heroic exploits of the Prince Rama.
In the land of the Ancient Lanka lived Ravan, an evil King whose purpose was to rule the world. To the north, lived Dashrath, a god king whose people prospered under his rule – until the day when Ravan sent an army of evil demons to terrorise his people. To protect themselves, Dashrath’s people prayed to their God, who sent their King a son from heaven, his name is Ram.
Ram grows up and eventually wins the hand of Sita, a princess of matchless beauty. They fall deeply in love and marry. One day Sita is kidnapped by King Ravan. The stories follows Rams quest to free Sita from the evil King.
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The Invisible Death of Michael
Friday 26th February
12:30-1:30pm
Beswick 013, Chester
Donations welcome - all proceeds will support the continuing work of the ‘Homotopia NOT Homophobia’ social justice programme.
A short film examining the media coverage of homophobic hate crime, Michael Causer’s murder and subsequent trial. With frank contributions from human rights activists, journalists, family & friends the film illustrates the stark and disturbing invisibility of institutionalised homophobia in modern Britain.
A Homotopia TV Light Factory co production directed by Tim Brunsden & Gary Everett.
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Stories of Human Rights
Monday 1st March
6-7pm
Best 117, Chester
Seventeen of the world’s leading directors contribute three-minute vignettes on different aspects of human rights: Culture, Development, Dignity and Justice, Environment, Gender and Participation, as seen from their own country’s perspective.
Featuring directors and artists including Marina Abramovic (Serbia/the Netherlands), Hany Abu-Assad (Palestine), Armagan Ballantyne (New Zealand), Sergei Bodrov (Russia), and Charles de Meaux (France).
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Short Film Screening (1): Human Rights
Tuesday 2nd March
6– 7:30pm
Best 117, Chester
The showing of three short human rights documentaries: 2.5.7 (Nima Bagheri) a short documentary filmed with cell phones during the revolts in Tehran in the aftermath of the elections on June 19th; Caso Rosendo Radilla - An Open Wound from Mexico's Dirty War (Christine Umali) following the efforts of Radila’s daughter, Tita and other families whose relatives disappeared in seeking the truth; and Forgotten Freedom Fighters (Shareen Anderson & Lisa Henry) looking into the lives of former ANC combatants in South Africa living in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra who have given up waiting for help and have decided to do something for themselves.
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VIEW FROM A GRAIN OF SAND (2006) has been
CANCELLED. It has been replaced with:
“Losing hope, women in Afghanistan” and “Lumo”
Wednesday 3rd March
2:30 - 4pm
Beswick 017, Chester
'Losing hope, women in Afghanistan' (2007) – A woman dies every half hour in child birth in Afghanistan. In April 2007, IRIN Films returned to Afghanistan to report on the plight of Afghan women nearly six years after the overthrow of the Taliban regime by international forces. Despite notable achievements in the education sector and representation of women in Afghanistan's parliament, women still endure chronically high rates of infant and maternal mortality, growing insecurity and horrific levels of domestic violence. Shot largely in the remote northwestern province of Badakhshan, Losing Hope opens a window onto the lives of Afghan women. (20 min)
‘Lumo’ - Recently engaged to a young man from her village, 20 year-old Lumo Sinai couldn’t wait to have children and start a family. Attacked by marauding soldiers, she was left with a fistula— a condition that has rendered her incontinent and threatens her ability to give birth in the future. Rejected by her fiancé and cast aside by her family, Lumo found her way to the one place that may save her: a hospital for rape survivors set on the border with Rwanda. Buoyed by the love of the hospital staff, and a formidable team of wise women known to all as “the Mamas,” Lumo and her friends keep the hope of one day resuming their former lives. When it looks like her operation may have failed, Lumo’s faith is thrown entirely into question. On this uncertain road to recovery, Lumo shows that the solidarity of women can bind the most irreparable of wounds.
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Sita Sings the Blues – The Greatest Break-up Story Ever Told (2008)
Wednesday 3rd March
5-7pm
Binks 010, Chester
The plot joins the legend at the exile of Prince Rama from his father's court, at the request of his father's favourite queen, Kaikeyi. Having earned the right to any single favour by saving the king's life, Kaikeyi attempts to secure her own son's inheritance over the eldest and favourite, Rama, by ordering him banished from the court. The story follows Sita’s determination to accompany her beloved husband.
Written, directed and produced by Nina Paley
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Short Film Screening (2): Human/Gender Rights
Thursday 4th March
6-7:30pm
Best 116, Chester
The showing of three short human/gender rights documentaries: Chronic Neglect (Christine Umali) - While there is no shortage of water in El Salvador almost 60% of the rural population has no access to a reliable water source, forcing women and girls to walk long distances and pay high prices to obtain water of dubious quality; Hear Us: Women Affected by Political Violence in Zimbabwe Speak Out (Christine Umali), Hear Us features four women who have come forward to demand justice from the Zimbabwean government and the Southern African Development community following political violence after the 2008 election; and Not Yet Rain (Lisa Russell) - Nearly 67,000 women — almost entirely poor women from developing countries — die every year from unsafe abortion, devastating the children, families and communities for whom they are caretakers.
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The Fixer has been CANCELLED. It has been replaced with:
THE IMAM AND THE PASTOR (2006)
Friday 5th March
5-6pm,
Best 117, Chester
This 39-minute documentary film brings to life the astonishing reconciliation between Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye, and their peace-making initiatives which have ensued. They were leaders of militant groups involved in conflict between Muslims and Christians in Kaduna, northern Nigeria. Pastor Wuye lost a hand while Imam Ashafa's mentor and two close relatives were killed in the fighting. Now they are taking bold initiatives to promote co-operation and resolve conflicts. The film, narrated by Rageh Omaar, shows that it is possible for the perpetrators of inter-religious violence to become instigators of peace. It is a story of forgiveness and a case study of grass-roots initiatives to rebuild communities torn apart by conflict. Imam Ashafa and Pastor Wuye are the joint founders and directors of the Inter-Faith Mediation Centre in Kaduna.
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Train of Freedom (2008)
Friday 5th March
6-7pm
Best 117, Chester
Train of Freedom is a feature documentary shot entirely on the railway system of Kosovo. Since 1874, the train has travelled amazing journeys. At its peak, it transported passengers in luxury cabins in trips that stretched from Greece to Germany. During the war, dark times made their mark when nearly one million Albanians were driven away by Serbian forces who ran a campaign of ethnic cleansing, many of which were forced into packed train cars and taken to the border with Macedonia. Today, the train aims to reconcile and integrate the different ethnic groups that were affected by the war. It is one of the very few places in Kosovo where Albanians, Serbs, Gypsy Romas and Ashkalis share a common place. Meet the people, hear their stories and learn first hand the hopes and challenges of this new nation.
Director: Karina Correa, Producer: Petrit Pula
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Film Night – the Bollywood way!
Saturday 6th March 2010
Beswick 017, Chester
Doors open 3pm
Start 4 – 7:30pm (including refreshment break)
Cost: Adults £2.50, Children and students £1.50*
Staff, students and the wider community are invited to join in the University of Chester Diversity Festival Celebrations to enjoy a screening of the classic Bollywood film Amar Akbar Anthony (1977).
This is a great opportunity to socialise, watch a classic movie, and enjoy an interval drink and snack prepared by Chester Tandoori. A bazaar selling gift items (with proceeds going to charity) will be available.
The film plot centres around an ex-convict who must flee his mob boss, leaving his family to fend for themselves. His wife goes blind and his children are abandoned. They are adopted by a Hindu policeman, a Muslim tailor, and a Catholic priest. The Hindu-raised son becomes a policeman in his turn; his Muslim-raised brother becomes a singer; and the last son, played by the screen idol Amitabh, (as referred to in Slum Dog Millionaire) becomes a happy-go-lucky Catholic who lives on the edge of the law. The boys meet again and their lives become entangled in an incredible plot full of unlikely coincidences and furious action sequences interspersed with songs.
The plot develops in typical Bollywood style and we will be on the edge of our seats wondering if the family will be reunited in the end and importantly if they embrace the religious differences?
Addressing the challenge the diversity of religious practices at it time of production the film has been chosen to celebrate the diversity that embraces the community within which we live and see why many followers of Bollywood film see Amitabh as one of the kings of the Bollywood screens.
We hope you will join us !
Tickets can be purchased (booked or paid for in advance only) by contacting:
Darren Mooney: Room 1.20, Binks Building, Chester Campus, , 01244 51 1138, or;
Reetu Kohli: 07903422828
Dr Roopa Adke: 07866633215
Abdan: Chester Tandoori, Brook Street
*The ticket price is to cover the drink and snack for all attendees at the event. The film itself is Free to view.
Food
Anyone for Chai?
Tuesday 2nd March
12-2pm,
Food Skills Lab (Cloisters 105), Chester
Suada Khan and Basma Ellahi offer staff and students an opportunity to prepare and taste foods commonly eaten by the south Asian community (originating from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India). The session will include a demonstration of traditional favourites, an offer for attendees to be hands-on and learn to do for themselves and will finish with an opportunity to sample the products as lunch. Come and join us in a purpose built Food Skills Laboratory in Cloisters 105 for what promises to be an aroma filled and taste bud satisfying experience celebrating Diversity Festival in a truly Asian style!
Public Lectures
Embedding Diversity into the Core of an Organisation
Monday 22nd February
6:30-8pm,
Rigg 105, Chester
Jane Nokes, Programme Director, National School of Government,
will deliver a key note lecture covering Diversity/what it means for organisations and the benefits it brings for work teams and individuals; the diverse needs of workforces and internal/external customers; understand how managers/ HR professionals/ future business leaders can demonstrate a commitment to understanding and managing diversity in their organisations and roles; and best practice in setting and achieving diversity objectives.
Refreshments and networking from 6pm. This event is kindly supported by the Faculty of Business, Enterprise & Lifelong Learning.
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The London 2012 Olympic Games: the vision for Diversity and Inclusion
Tuesday 23rd February
5:30-7pm,
Binks 107, Chester
Julie Amory, Equality & Inclusion Manager for the Olympic Delivery Authority will deliver a key note address on the vision and aims of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. She will outline how the ODA is working towards an inspirational, safe and inclusive Games.
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Anticipating the needs of disabled people: making the vision a reality
Wednesday 24th February
12:30-2pm,
Rigg 105, Chester Campus
RADAR’s Deputy Chief Executive, Mark Shrimpton will deliver a key-note address about the practicalities of working to bring disabled people out of poverty - getting disabled people into positions of leadership and developing a society where difference is anticipated and positively celebrated. He will explore methods of embedding real solutions for reasonable adjustments into Universities as places of work and study.
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Disability and International Development
Thursday 25th February
5pm,
Binks 013/1, Chester