BRADFORD’S inter-cultural arts hub hosted an open mic night of poetry, spoken word and music to showcase talent from across the district.

The night – hosted by Bradford poet and photographer Nabeelah Hafeez – was Kala Sangam’s second open mic poetry night and attracted visitors from far and wide.

Nabeelah introduced to the stage several performers from the local area, who all reflected Bradford’s diversity in their own unique and exciting ways.

Zara Zaheer, 18, was one of the first performers – she covered Vance Joy’s ‘Riptide’ and earned the applause of the audience as she sang and played guitar.

Zara spoke of how she aims to change people’s perceptions of Muslim women through music, saying “people have this view that young Muslim girls, especially those who wear the Hijab like myself, are forbidden from expressing themselves by their community and their family.”

"However, my family are supportive, encourage what I do and were even in attendance tonight.” Zara further explained how “events like this help people like me to challenge this perception.”

Zara was one of several performers seeking to use their talent to make a difference.

Bernadette O’horo, a 31-year old poet from Keighley, put on a pulsating performance which addressed homophobia and discrimination. Speaking on her night, Bernadette said “I come alive when I perform. Spoken word allows me to express opinions and feelings that can’t be expressed as easily in a normal conversation.”

She only wrote her poem – which is titled ‘I Am Gentleman Jack’ and named after the BBC T.V. series which deals with the stigma surrounding homosexuality – the night before the event took place.

Bernadette made a final statement which fittingly characterised the night as a whole: “you should never be frightened about who you are or try and conform to other people’s perceptions.”

Also performing was Simon Pickles, 46, who is also from Keighley. Simon begun his set by bravely admitting how he was once a hard-drug addict, but is now 16 years clean.

He took up poetry as part of his recovery from addiction, through support worker Jem Stuart of Project 6, a drug and alcohol recovery centre in Keighley. Simon did his first performance as part of their ‘Recovery Month’ programme last October.

He read an emotional piece at Kala Sangam where he discussed the loss of a friend, who passed away earlier this year after a drug overdose. Simon explained how he finds poetry to be “cathartic” and it “has helped him in the healing process” after the loss of his friend.

He also added how he wants to “change people’s view of addiction, via poetry”, before saying the night as a whole was “brilliant” and featured “a very diverse and non-judgemental crowd.”

Zodwa Nyoni, who is 30 and from Leeds, also performed and provided the audience with a piece on the current conflict in Sudan. She then performed another poem, titled ‘Black When I’, discussing her experiences of race and identity as a BAME person in Britain.

Zodwa expressed her desire to “create more spaces in the arts” for people from ethnic minority backgrounds. She also commented on how many people from such backgrounds often find themselves “working against the tide” in their pursuits of success, while she is looking to “challenge and change” that.

She further explained how “the mainstream media often shy away from issues such as the uprising that is happening in Sudan right now, so it is our responsibility to get messages and information out quicker and faster through art.”

The night was one of many exciting Kala Sangam events taking place this summer. For more information, visit http://www.kalasangam.org/.