Sefton Park Palm House hosted a celebration of Liverpool City Region's Yemeni community this afternoon, Sunday (November 1), which saw families spend time together and build friendships. The free event included Yemeni food and tea, stalls, art, music and traditional dancing.
Community roots since the 1980s
The Merseyside Yemeni Community Association (MYCA) has served community members in Liverpool since the 1980s, empowering generations through education, guidance, cultural preservation and the fostering of shared British and Yemeni values. MYCA continues to provide essential services and support while building bridges across cultures and strengthening the ties between young people, elders, and families.
The idea for an event came about earlier this year when BlaST (Black Social Traders Network) began working with the MYCA and Kuumba Imani, a community-rooted multicultural hub in Liverpool 8.
Food, art, and traditional activities
Visitors enjoyed a selection of traditional Yemeni food and refreshments such as rice dishes, Sabaya, a traditional Yemeni pastry, as well as the opportunity to discover and purchase coffee beans.
People were able to browse merchandise from the charity Habibti Liverpool, and discover beautiful forever flowers created by one of the festival's participants. Traditional artefacts were on display, and people were invited to try their hand at writing in ancient Arabian script.
Celebrating enterprise and talent
Abdul basit Qadir, Chair of the Merseyside Yemeni Association, said: "The Yememi community in Liverpool – and beyond – has always been very self-reliant. Yemeni businesses are all around us – initially as local stores and newsagents and now increasingly as food, hospitality and service businesses.
"This event is all about celebrating that Yemeni diaspora in Merseyside that's become woven into the fabric of our city region. It's a chance to see those opportunities – and to create new ones."
Joanne Anderson, founder of BlaST, said: "We set up the Festival of Ideas to make sure the ambitions within Liverpool's Yemeni community had a clear route to support and investment, and the response went far beyond anything we expected.
"Thirty seven people came forward with ideas, each of them ready to build something for their family and their community. Sunday is our chance to celebrate them, and to show the rest of the city region the talent and enterprise that has been here all along."
