The St Pauls Carnival that started in 1968 has traditionally been held on the first weekend of July. Last weekend the full carnival did not take place but, with a series of community events taking place with local schools, one of the organisers told the BBC it was a chance for the carnival to go back to its roots.
After Bristol City Council under mayor George Ferguson and the Arts Council withdrew their funding for the carnival in 2015, the Afrikan-Caribbean Association were no longer able to continue with their programme on the same scale. It wasn’t until 2018, on the 60th anniversary of what had become one of the biggest Afro-Caribbean cultural events that the carnival was able to return, under new management.
A separate organisation - St Pauls Carnival CIC - was formed and put on their first carnival in 2018. However, the full scale event that sees crowds of up to 10,000 has seen a series of cancellations due to the global pandemic.
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For Amirah Cole - who was the chair of the Afrikan-Caribbean Association in the early 2000s, bringing with her a wealth of experience in community work, and was the carnival chair between 2000 and 2004 - the need to hold onto the traditions of St Pauls Carnival is important. With the new carnival committee currently chaired by celebrity businessman and musician, Levi Roots, she is concerned that the carnival is in danger of becoming too commercial.
Amirah Cole - who began a placement at the Malcolm X centre at 16 and has continued to support residents in and around St Pauls ever since, being elected in 2021 as the local councillor for Ashley ward - said: “The carnival doesn’t have the same authenticity and reason for being.
"Community groups would get involved, it was a tool that pulled the community together.
“It took place over a longer period and it meant something. I feel sad that Carnival CIC hasn't spent the time to build roots and invest in our community and young people.”
Prior to becoming Carnival chair in 2000, Amirah had spent many years working with young people in St Pauls. She began delivering community-based educational programmes centred around black history from a young age after benefiting from attending a supplementary school which was named The John Lynch Afrikan Education Programme (JLAEP) in 1990.
The school was named after a community youth worker and influential activist in the Black community in Bristol before he died in 1989. The John Lynch Afrikan Education Programme filled the gaps in Black history that were not being taught in schools as well as providing additional maths and English tuition for those who needed it.
It was there where Amirah learned about Malcolm X and developed a love for books. She used those skills to later work with young offenders where she would use the example of Malcom X to demonstrate how inspirational people in history are not so far removed from the everyday experiences of the Black community in Bristol.
Amirah said: “The first book I read was about Malcolm X and his life as a young person. I actually found that really inspiring, looking at what he went through a child and what he became.
“Malcolm X had a challenging life; his mum was taken into an institution and his father was murdered. Each chapter is a different journey in his life where he has to overcome significant barriers.
“Often we don’t see the trauma in his personal life but just the end product. He openly apologised when he realised he was wrong so [his story] is so applicable, even today.”
Over the years Amirah moved between different community organisations in mostly volunteer roles. While chair of the carnival she oversaw extensive educational programmes and the development of the skills and confidence of local young people.
They would go into schools and community groups where they would deliver an educational programme, teaching the history of carnival. The local community would play a central role in the preparation of the costumes which they would get better every year.
The family area within the carnival was called Mandela’s hideaway and run by local young people who were paid for their work. They also had a sports weekend and a Carnival Troupe that would go on tour and attend Glastonbury festival.
When Amirah stepped down from her role as carnival chair, she became the chair of the Malcom X centre, a focal point for the St Pauls community that has always played a role in the carnival. She kept the community centre going during a time when the council had temporarily withdrawn all funding.
Amirah stepped up to the challenge after being asked to take on the role and just like she did when carnival chair, she worked collaboratively. She worked with Docklands Community Centre and St Pauls Adventure Playground on a programme of events and they pooled their funds.
For Amirah being a Bristol City Councillor is not so different from the work she has done all her life, it just means she can now support a larger number of people. The Ashley ward councillor said: “People used to always say, ‘you’d make a good councillor and I used to laugh.
“I would never do a job application for Bristol City Council because I was always in some argument with them, protesting or involved in a petition. For me being a councillor is just an extension of what I’ve always been doing but with access to more resources.
“I’m passionate about ensuring that services are accessible and of good quality. A number of people are left behind and left at a disadvantage.
“A good councillor will be working to make themselves redundant. You wouldn’t need an external person if services were running well.
“I will do my best as long as I’m councillor. I’m just trying to make a bad situation better.”
St Pauls Carnival CIC were contacted for comment
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