A cultural event and fun day to be held in Armagh this week will be a celebration of the diversity of the city’s residents.
Hosted by Armagh Roma Traveller Support (ARTS), in partnership with vibe Church, the free event will showcase the wide range of backgrounds and cultures that exist in Armagh.
The ‘Inclusive Cultural Celebration’ will be held on the Mall on Friday, July 19, from 6pm to 9pm.
It will be the third such event held by ARTS and the organisers hope it will be attract a large, cross-community audience.
It will include a BBQ, inflatables, a rodeo bull, ice cream, face-painting, dancing, balloon-modelling and more, so there’s sure to be something for the whole family to enjoy.
It’s also hoped there will be representation from a vast range of communities that live in Armagh, such as Travellers, Polish, Bulgarians, Romanians, Pakistanis, Protestants and Catholics.
ARTS, which was constituted in 1991, aims to provide local support to Roma and Traveller families living in the wider Armagh area.
It does this by providing advice on issues such as health and employment, alongside diversity training programmes aimed at raising awareness of the difficulties within Roma and Traveller communities.
Speaking to Armagh I, Fidelma Fearon, the manager, said: “It’s about bringing the full community of Armagh together to celebrate the vibrancy of the city.
“It’s good for Armagh to have this sort of event that is welcoming and embracing, that promotes Armagh the way it is now – a diverse and vibrant city.”
She added: “People coming will get to see all different customs and there’s a bit of everything.
“I think it’s about showing visibility of these people, our neighbours. I feel the Roma have got a bad rap and people need to be introduced to them. They’re just good, hard-working people, so they’re really not that much different from ourselves.”
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