Greenbelt Festival will give a voice to the voiceless
-13/08/05
This year’s Greenbelt, the extraordinarily eclectic UK Christian arts-based festival, is likely to be one of the biggest ever ñ with some 18,000 expected to pack Chelteham racecourse from 26-29 August 2005 for the 32nd event.
When Greenbelt began in 1974 it attracted just 2,000 people. By the early 1980s that had soared to 20,000. After a slump in the 1990s and a series of disastrously wet August Bank Holidays, the show is now very much back on the road following a creative partnership with Christian Aid.
Since branching out beyond the evangelical sub-culture that gave birth to it, Greenbelt has also acquired a breadth and depth which has won admiration from those suspicious of ‘institutional religion’, like eco-businesswoman Anita Roddick.
The Iona Community’s John Bell puts it this way on the Festival’s website: ìIn a materialistic, anti-institutional era, where the church is marginalised and mocked, and religious icons of substance and charisma are hard to find… Greenbelt remains singular in its faith-affirming, politically engaged, life-transforming experience.î
He goes on: ìWith many understandings of Christian community dying, one way people anticipate a new way of being church is through alternative meeting places and movements like Greenbelt.î
The crisis in Niger is set to feature prominently at this year’s event, reports Independent Catholic News, with updates from an expert who has spent almost 20 years living and working in the region.
Jeff Woodke, director of Tearfund partner Jemed, will be speaking about the latest situation on the ground and telling how Greenbelters how they can make a difference to those suffering from drought and malnutrition across West Africa’s Sahel region.
ìOne of the things that has always been central to Greenbelt Festival over more than 30 years is a commitment to the voiceless,î says Greenbelt director Beki Bateson. ì [This year] Christian Aid, our Festival partner, will be working with us again to highlight the part we can play in the Make Poverty History campaign.î
Other 2005 speakers will include writer and academic Karen Armstrong, a former nun, who, as tensions have flared among Christians, Muslims and Jews in recent years, has spoken out for mutual understanding and against fundamentalism.
Journalist Leo Hickman will also ask whether it’s possible, in the twenty-first century, to lead a normal life yet at the same time be respectful to the planet and the people who share it.
Other festival highlights include world dance music champion DJ Gilles Peterson, soul-gospel diva Carleen Anderson, festival friends The Proclaimers and Queen of British hip-hop, Estelle, widely regarded as one of the hottest urban rap artists in the UK.
Daby Toure, the Mauritanian-born virtual one-man band who has supported Peter Gabriel and has been a main stage act at Womad (the world music festival), will be beating out the rhythm of Afro-centric pop. Singer-songwriter Coco Mbassi will be mixing African roots, classical music, jazz and gospel. And Karine Polwart will showcase the UK folk-roots scene.
The worship at Greenbelt will range from the alternative to the contemplative, including Asian fusion’s Pal Singh, Canada’s Aradhna, and Matt Redman, Johnny Parks and Tim Hughes.
Young people also get their very own all-new Big Top venue featuring a 24-hour Cafe, gigs on a special youth stage and a rolling programme of workshops and magazine shows throughout the day.
Greenbelt updates are available from the Festival’s ‘dispatches’ news service. To receive it, send a blank email to: [email protected]. There is also a regularly updated Festival weblog.
In addition to Christian Aid, the other Greenbelt partners are the Church Mission Society, USPG, SPCK, International Christian Communications, and the Church Times newspaper.
Greenbelt Festival will give a voice to the voiceless
-13/08/05
This year’s Greenbelt, the extraordinarily eclectic UK Christian arts-based festival, is likely to be one of the biggest ever – with some 18,000 expected to pack Chelteham racecourse from 26-29 August 2005 for the 32nd event.
When Greenbelt began in 1974 it attracted just 2,000 people. By the early 1980s that had soared to 20,000. After a slump in the 1990s and a series of disastrously wet August Bank Holidays, the show is now very much back on the road following a creative partnership with Christian Aid.
Since branching out beyond the evangelical sub-culture that gave birth to it, Greenbelt has also acquired a breadth and depth which has won admiration from those suspicious of ‘institutional religion’, like eco-businesswoman Anita Roddick.
The Iona Community’s John Bell puts it this way on the Festival’s website: ‘In a materialistic, anti-institutional era, where the church is marginalised and mocked, and religious icons of substance and charisma are hard to find… Greenbelt remains singular in its faith-affirming, politically engaged, life-transforming experience.’
He goes on: ‘With many understandings of Christian community dying, one way people anticipate a new way of being church is through alternative meeting places and movements like Greenbelt.’
The crisis in Niger is set to feature prominently at this year’s event, reports Independent Catholic News, with updates from an expert who has spent almost 20 years living and working in the region.
Jeff Woodke, director of Tearfund partner Jemed, will be speaking about the latest situation on the ground and telling how Greenbelters how they can make a difference to those suffering from drought and malnutrition across West Africa’s Sahel region.
‘One of the things that has always been central to Greenbelt Festival over more than 30 years is a commitment to the voiceless,’ says Greenbelt director Beki Bateson. ‘ [This year] Christian Aid, our Festival partner, will be working with us again to highlight the part we can play in the Make Poverty History campaign.’
Other 2005 speakers will include writer and academic Karen Armstrong, a former nun, who, as tensions have flared among Christians, Muslims and Jews in recent years, has spoken out for mutual understanding and against fundamentalism.
Journalist Leo Hickman will also ask whether it’s possible, in the twenty-first century, to lead a normal life yet at the same time be respectful to the planet and the people who share it.
Other festival highlights include world dance music champion DJ Gilles Peterson, soul-gospel diva Carleen Anderson, festival friends The Proclaimers and Queen of British hip-hop, Estelle, widely regarded as one of the hottest urban rap artists in the UK.
Daby Toure, the Mauritanian-born virtual one-man band who has supported Peter Gabriel and has been a main stage act at Womad (the world music festival), will be beating out the rhythm of Afro-centric pop. Singer-songwriter Coco Mbassi will be mixing African roots, classical music, jazz and gospel. And Karine Polwart will showcase the UK folk-roots scene.
The worship at Greenbelt will range from the alternative to the contemplative, including Asian fusion’s Pal Singh, Canada’s Aradhna, and Matt Redman, Johnny Parks and Tim Hughes.
Young people also get their very own all-new Big Top venue featuring a 24-hour Cafe, gigs on a special youth stage and a rolling programme of workshops and magazine shows throughout the day.
Greenbelt updates are available from the Festival’s ‘dispatches’ news service. To receive it, send a blank email to: [email protected]. There is also a regularly updated Festival weblog.
In addition to Christian Aid, the other Greenbelt partners are the Church Mission Society, USPG, SPCK, International Christian Communications, and the Church Times newspaper.