Sashwati Mira Sengupta

When I first moved from London to Manchester, I took part in CAN’s In the Mix training programme for emerging Music Workshop Leaders. It was a turning point in my career, and through this, I was introduced to the richness of Manchester’s creative scene.  To this day, CAN is a sounding board if I want to explore creative or project ideas. 

I’ve met many Artists, Producers, and Cultural Organisations through CAN’s extensive networks and cultural events, which has helped my career immensely. Working in partnership with CAN to fundraise, and produce workshop and arts events has been a huge education for me, and now I support others in writing their funding applications!

One significant project was working on the Kámoši Juniors Performing Arts Group. At the time, the young people mainly had Czech and Slovak Roma heritages and my DJ crew delivered workshops with a group of young Kámoši MCs. They then performed on stage with the iconic Serbian “Rock n Roma” band KAL at Manchester Academy. The project was amazing because of the confidence it gave young people. 

In 2019, using my knowledge of touring, I worked on the hugely successful tour of Seyed Ali Jaberi and The Hamdel Ensemble to seven venues and one festival – the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  It’s something I’m really proud of. 

Facing discrimination in the arts is a real barrier, and stops talented people from pursuing artistic careers. CAN offers high-quality support, development and platforming to artists from international heritages, who would otherwise face systemic marginalisation.