Rise Up 2024: Activism & Art (Panel)

Attend this engaging panel discussion, where panellists will explore the powerful intersection of art and social justice. Discover how artistic expression can raise awareness, catalyse change, and shape public discourse through an interactive discussion.

Host:
laya-roxanne hill

Panellists:
Amira Al Shanti
Ade Adesina
p a t s y

Rise Up

Rise Up! Festival is a celebration of some of the many diverse voices and visions that shape Aberdeen and Scotland’s Black and PoC creative communities. Join us at the Music Hall and Lemon Tree for three days of art, music, and dialogue that challenge, inspire, and unite. Curated by We Are Here Scotland in partnership with Aberdeen Performing Arts.

See the whole programme here.

layla-roxanne hill

layla-roxanne hill is a freelance writer, researcher + organiser, living + healing in glasgow. she thinks, feels + acts upon many things, including anti-colonial struggle + dual power. layla-roxanne is co-author/dreamer of Black Oot Here: Black Lives in Scotland (Bloomsbury, 2022) + the freely available graphic novel + animation, Black Oot Here: Dreams O Us. she is also active in the trade union movement, holding elected positions within the bureaucratic machinery.

Ade Adesina

Ade Adesina, born in Nigeria in 1980, is an Artist living and working in Aberdeen, Scotland. Previously studied printmaking at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland from 2008 graduating in 2012.

Royal Scottish Academician and an Associate member of The Royal Society of Painters and Printmakers. Past Artist in Residence at Eton College, Highland Print Studio, Glasgow Print Studio, and Grays School of Art.

Amira Al Shanti

Amira Al Shanti is a Palestinian actor, singer and writer based in Scotland. She was shortlisted for the Kavya New Writers Prize in 2023 and named as one of Scotland’s 30 under 30 in 2020 (YWCA). Amira wrote and starred in her short film ‘Said the Dove to the Olive Tree’, and her pieces have been published in both Dardishi and The Herald. She made her West End debut as ensemble in Rumi the Musical (London Coliseum, 2021); and other notable theatre work has included Arabic voiceover in National Theatre of Scotland’s screen adaptation of Adam (BBC Scotland), and starring as Muna in the most recent workshop of Shadow World the Musical. Her original Palestinian Carol ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ was performed at several activist events for Gaza during Christmas 2023.

p a t s y

p a t s y is a creative artist, based in Glasgow. She is a multifaceted individual who founded BAMILEK; an independent concept store whose mission it is to connect the African Diaspora. p a t s y is a dancer, who teaches + is part of a creative collective called THE UNIT. She is always capturing moments never to be forgotten, whether that be through photography or videography, she’s here to create.