'Inappropriate' awards show discussed at meeting

Members of Leicester's black community say they have been left "traumatised" by a lack of representatation at a Black History Month event.

Several people who attended the city's first Black History Month Awards, held at Winstanley House on 13 November, relayed their experiences at a public meeting last week.

The event was described as being "on every level inappropriate" and it was claimed there had been no involvement with the black community it its organisation.

But organisers Pukaar News told the BBC the awards had been a "dazzling success".

The company's founder and director Romail Gulzar said the event "was intended to celebrate black excellence in the local community" and videos "clearly show that more than 75% of attendees were from the black community".

He added that "overall, the event was well-received and appreciated by many".

Tara Munroe, creative director of Leicester's Opal22 Arts and Edutainment, was at the ceremony and said she felt "used" by it.

"I felt totally undermined by what I saw. It was disrespectful, completely disassociated from black culture and with anyone from the black community," she said.

"The only people of importance at the event were of Asian or white background. We came out feeling traumatised. We were used for an effect.

"We were puppets in an audience that had nothing to do with us but had our name on it."

Organiser Romail Gulzar responded that the majority of recipients of the awards were from the black community and celebrated individuals who had made remarkable contributions.

"A particularly emotional moment was when Agnes Nisbett, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, received a standing ovation from the crowd," he said.

"This showcased the deep appreciation and respect from attendees."

Iris Lightfoote, chief executive of The Race Equality Centre in Leicester, chaired the public meeting where attendees of the event shared their experiences.

She says over 30 people were there and they also shared views on how the black community should respond to the awards event. It was not open to the media.

She told the BBC it was agreed that the event had constituted cultural appropriation and that nothing about it, from the food to the music, was appropriate for the community it was supposed to be celebrating.

Others, including City Councillor George Cole, said attendees were only given a few days notice of the event and that they had found no-one from the community who was approached about its organisation.

However, Mr Gulzar said he had publicly announced the event on social media months before and has since had a positive meeting with Cole "where we agreed to collaborate on next year's event to ensure a more inclusive planning process".

"I made it clear that they were welcome to be involved from the start of the next planning cycle," he said.

Ms Lightfoote said an action plan had been agreed by members of Leicester's black community to ensure this experience was not repeated.

She also said the meeting had also agreed to call for an apology for the offence caused by the event and reparations from the organisers.

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