Last year the event attracted approximately 8,000 people and is one of the biggest multi-cultural gatherings in the South-East. The word 'mela' originates from Sanskrit and means 'to meet'. The inclusion of the word ‘international’ in the Crawley Mela title isn’t a haphazard one – the organisers have worked hard to reflect the huge cultural diversity of the town, so you can expect a global hopscotch of entertainment, artwork, food and fashion from India to Ireland and what’s more there’s no entrance charge! There'll be comedy courtesy of Richard Blackwood who'll also be compering the acts on the main stage, plus a raft of workshops and demonstrations for children ranging from Chinese storytelling to henna painting. Plus we'll be there with the BBC Truck where you can have a go at being a TV weather presenter, radio travel reporter and record your reviews of the mela - some of which you'll be able to view on this site. For a full programme of events, click on the mela website. For a taste of what to expect, check out our profiles of some of the artists and groups who’ll be at the mela. Emily Derry - singer/poet/bassist Originally from the Philippines, Emily moved to Crawley last year from Hong Kong and although this will be her first time on stage at the mela, it's not the first time she's performed in front of an audience - in the ‘80s she was part of a successful female pop group called The Love Selection Band.
 | | Emily Derry |
The band moved base from the Philippines to Hong Kong, but later disbanded. Emily continued to pursue her musical interest however by leading the choir at her church, as well as stints singing in a hotel and on a cruise ship. At the mela Emily will be performing in Tagalog, one of the main Philippine languages, but she says she's open to requests as she can sing in Japanese, Cantonese and Mandarin! When? Saturday at 5.45pm on the Main Stage and Sunday at 2.20pm on the Community Stage. Lamont Chitepo - songwriter/rapper/producer/performing artist Born in Zimbabwe, Lamont aka ‘2short’ describes his style as party music mixing R&B, hip hop, and African instruments, alternating his delivery between English and his mother tongue of Shona.
 | | Lamont Chitepo |
Lamont has been a member of a rap and an afro jazz hip hop group but his big solo break came when he performed in a TV talent show in Harare. Although he didn't win, he came third in the afro-pop category which earned him a cash prize and a record deal. Unfortunately his debut failed to hit the top ten and the record company's interest fell by the wayside, but Lamont carried on making music undeterred and honed his skills producing his own music. Now living in Crawley, he's currently working on a video for his new single 'Chocolate'. When? Saturday at 5.30pm on the Main Stage. The Sega Members of the local Diego Garcian community will be performing a 'sega' - a type of dance once performed on Diego Garcia which is part of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
During the 60s and 70s up to 2,000 people were forced to leave the Chagos Islands to make way for a military base on Diego Garcia leased by the UK to the US.
 | | Diego Garcians in traditional dress |
Many were exiled to Mauritius and the Seychelles and in recent years to Britain – most notably to the Crawley area after arriving at Gatwick Airport. In May 2006, families who were exiled to Britain from the Chagos Islands won a High Court battle to return to part of the area, but as yet that doesn't include Diego Garcia. The sega was originally introduced to Diego Garcia by slaves from Africa and it was traditional for people to have sega parties typically on Saturday evenings by the sea shore around a fire. Jessica Nina is in charge of choreographing the group and if after seeing the sega performed you fancy having a go yourself, she'll be happy to teach you! When? Sunday at 1.55pm on the Community Stage. Nirm Dhiman - artist/illustrator and designer
 | | Example of Nirmal's art |
In 1996 Nirm found an unused diary from 1969 and decided to fill each page with a visual account of his day - he's carried on doing so and now his work spans 10 diaries!
"Every page is its own painting/story. Often parts of yesterdays entry comes through the paper and has a bearing on the next day’s entry. It has allowed me to express/discover who I am and explore my Anglo-Indian background as well as perceptions and representations of the world around me", Nirm explains. When? You'll be able to view excerpts from Nirm's visual diary during the mela inside the Hawth foyer but the exhibition is already up and you can catch it until August 4th. Mullins School of Irish Dance Lead by Katherine Mullin, the group has been a regular fixture at the mela in recent years. They'll be performing fresh from having featured on BBC 1's Dancing In The Street programme attempting to break new records in dance, so expect a world class performance at the mela! When? Sunday 2pm on the Main Stage. | 
