EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, June 8, 2012 (scotsman.com): With just a handful of volunteers gathered underneath Meadowbank Stadium’s wet weather stand, the setting of the first Edinburgh Mela in 1995 could hardly have been more modest. A self-funded, grassroots event, intended to celebrate the Capital’s Asian communities, it was considered a success after attracting a few hundred visitors. The Mela would remain a low-key affair for the next decade, certainly compared with counterparts in the largest towns and cities of England.
“There weren’t that many traditional Asian foods – you could buy samosas, and there were a couple of Asian sweet stalls. I’m originally from Leicester and there they’re used to big Melas, where you’d get hundreds of stalls.” Fast forward to 2012 and it’s clear the Edinburgh Mela is catching up fast. Crowds of up to 30,000 are expected to head to Leith Links for this summer’s event. The 2012 programme – launched yesterday – is surely the most diverse in the Mela’s history. Its offering ranges from Ghanaian and Japanese drumming to pyrotechnic re-tellings of Hindu legends and routines from champion break dancers. Those involved in the event are quick to stress its growth shows no sign of petering out.
For new director Chris Purnell said, “The Edinburgh Mela grew out of a much smaller event with just a few bands in Meadowbank Stadium,” he says. “Now it’s regarded as one of the best melas in the UK.” While admitting the Edinburgh event is only one of a number of similar festivals across Britain, he argues its unique qualities are apparent to anyone who comes to the city. “It offers much more of a range of artistic content,” he says. “In London, where I was previously, the event is huge – you can have up to 90,000 attending and there are a lot more stages, but it’s also a lot more Asian-centric. “The Edinburgh Mela has gone from being an event which was set up by a small community in Edinburgh – mainly to celebrate its own culture – to being a much larger expression of the diverse cultures of the city.”
Melas are traditionally community-owned events, although many gatherings held outside of South Asia attract funding from public bodies and are seen as having a bridge-building function. Today, the word ‘mela’ has a loose definition and can refer to shows, exhibitions or fairs. A Mela can also be based on a particular art or skill. Many melas include food stalls, entertainment activities, shops and games. The Edinburgh Mela is one of 18 similar gatherings taking place across the UK. Other towns and cities to hold mela festivals include Glasgow, Cardiff and Oldham.
The 2012 Edinburgh Mela runs from August 31 to September 2. Visit their website at www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk.