Henley Borama Friendship Association

THE exhibition of Somali art and craft at the Old Fire Station Gallery from June 6 to 10 far exceeded our wildest hopes.

The idea came from Carol Crowdy and much of the work in connection with it was done by her, for which I am most grateful.

We were greatly assisted by the charity Samasons Relief and the Somali communities in London, Birmingham and Northampton. Due to our location, Henley became a convenient venue for the three groups and a by-product on the Saturday was that many reunions resulted.

 

About 60 Somali people in all gathered at the gallery but the weather was against us until about 1pm when the dancing and drumming that had been planned for the morning at last began. This was The Horn of Africa Celebration.

It was great fun and most spectacular. The women’s clothing was exceptionally colourful and one man and his sons were dressed all in white as dervishes. The drumming was intense at times and, due to the delay caused by the rain, had a somewhat unfortunate effect on the two weddings that were taking place at the town hall at the same time.

The Somali dancers were joined by some of the onlookers and a great time was had.

The Mayor and Mayoress Martin and Glynnis Akehurst thanked the visitors for bringing so much colour and liveliness to Henley.

The couple also visited the exhibition and said they were impressed by the variety and quality of the exhibits. Apart from exhibits, there were demonstrations of coiled basket making, demonstrations and workshops for UNSI drawing and poetry readings. There is a strong Somali tradition of oral poetry.

In his welcoming address, the Mayor commented on the possibility of a similar event next year, which we will certainly attempt.

Apart from the Somali communities and Carol Crowdy, I wish to express my appreciation to the “Old Guard” of Allen Jones, Edward Sandars and Dr Noel Snell and to Toni Aitken, who kindly helped with the stewarding.

It was unfortunate that Joanna Cary, who played such a big part in getting the friendship link established during her time with the Henley Standard, could not be with us due to other commitments.

Many people left their email addresses with us at the gallery. I will be in touch with them shortly.

henleystandard.co.uk