Final preparations are taking place ahead of the return of Northern Ireland’s largest cultural diversity festival, the Belfast Mela this weekend.
This year the 16 th Belfast Mela Festival takes place from August 20-28 after a break of two years due to the pandemic.
The celebrations will include a carnival procession, world food market, silk road supper club and tea walking tours, culminating in the festival finale in Botanic Gardens.
Read more: Belfast Mela founder Nisha Tandon on 45 years since making a new life in NI
Among those showcasing their talents will be Dona Das Gupta, a lead choreographer and dancer with The South Asian Dance Academy (SADA).
Dona, 25, is currently a Marketing and Events Assistant at ArtsEkta, which promotes intercultural exchange through arts, culture and heritage. She is also studying for a Master's in Business Analytics at Queen's University
Dona lived in Saudi Arabia until she was aged five before moving to Northern Ireland 20 years ago.
"My mum is a nurse so she had quite a few opportunities to travel around the world before a job offer came up in Belfast and she finally decided to settle here," Dona told Belfast Live.
"My main memories of Saudi Arabia are of the food and music because of the rich culture there while the people were also very hospitable.
"The country was quite strict when it came to women but it has progressed and they are now able to drive and things like that. The weather was also very warm too!"
She added: "It wasn't a huge culture shock coming to Northern Ireland - I just knew it was somewhere different. Initially I didn't know or learn about the issues in Northern Ireland until I was much older. It just wasn't something I was exposed to when I was playing with other kids.
"Thankfully I've never faced any racism myself but I know some of my friends have in terms of remarks made to them. I guess because I grew up here from a young age, I got used to the culture, language and accent.
"Apart from my skin tone, I wasn't differentiated much and I got to know about the place and people later whereas I think those who come here as international students can face issues around racism."
Since moving here, Dona has also volunteered the Northern Ireland Hospice and fundraised for Action Cancer as her grandad, Babu, one of her favourite family members, passed away from cancer in 2012.
And over the last 20 years she's seen big changes in the number of different cultures that have also embraced Belfast.
"Back in the early days, I wasn't surrounded by many people who looked like me. At one point I liked the way I could stick out from everyone else but now there are so many more Indians living here too," Dona said.
Dona has been a member of Ireland's first South Asian Dance Academy (SADA) for almost ten years.
The group will perform at this year's Belfast Mela, which is making a welcome post-Covid return this weekend.
"We will perform at a number of events over the week including the big Mela Finale on Sunday 28 August at Mela Day in the Botanic Gardens - so if I'm not in work next week, I'll either be rehearsing or dancing! " Dona said.
Members of SADA provide amazing Bollywood and classical performances and workshops throughout the island of Ireland.
The academy also works to encourage engagement and participation in traditional and contemporary South Asian dance and is made up of a diverse group of freelance dancers with varying skills, disciplines, genres of focus and levels of experience.
Hundreds of artists and up to 60,000 attendees are expected to attend events over the eight days.
It's a far cry from the very first Belfast Mela back in 2007, attended by around 500 people and with only five or six different cultures being showcased compared to the huge number today.
"I remember the very first Mela Day 16 years ago and feeling so happy that something like this was happening in Belfast," Dona recalls.
"Now when I see it getting bigger and bigger every year, you realise that there are so many more possibilities. I truly believe that there's still much more opportunity to keep growing."
The Full Belfast Mela 2022 programme is available here.
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Belfast Mela returns to Botanic Gardens for week of celebrations in August
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Belfast's first Festival of Asia to celebrate culture and food traditions next month
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Culture Night Belfast event cancelled this year as 'complete rethink' needed
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