Our Cultures, Our Stories

The Concept

We recognised the underrepresentation of CEE cultures in public life across the UK, including Redditch, despite CEE communities being one of the largest migrant groups, and Polish now the second most spoken language nationwide.

The arrival of Ukrainian refugees further highlighted the urgent need for inclusive, culturally responsive spaces.

Reimagine Redditch sought to address this need through tailored artistic activity, community-building, and long-term engagement.

Redditch is home to a significant Central and Eastern European (CEE) population and already had active local Ukrainian cultural groups.

Drawing on this existing engagement, the programme was designed to include a combination of community events and women-focused workshops that celebrate heritage while encouraging new creative expression.

From January to July 2024, Reimagine Redditch commissioned Centrala – an internationally recognised centre for Central and Eastern European Art and Artists – to produce and deliver a programme of cultural events and activities, including two large community events and five workshops.

The mixed creative activities between January and the end of March 2024 would act as a pilot and scoping exercise to learn about the expectations and needs of the community as well as to meaningfully engage with CEE communities and build lasting relationships.

This programme would be an introduction to a longer term cultural offer, directed towards migrant communities in Redditch aiming to boost creativity, and improve representation of migrant art.

The first ongoing project in Redditch is called ‘Our Cultures, Our Stories’, which started in early 2024.

Artists

Together, we have worked with a range of artists on this project, including the following:

Ieva Baltaduonyte.

Maggie ‘Stick’ Magdalena Kij.

Ildiko  Nagy.

Objectives of the Project 

Reimagine Redditch wanted to develop a dynamic, community-led cultural programme supporting Central and Eastern European (CEE) migrants in Redditch.

Centrala Celebrates ‘Andrzejki’ / St Andrew’s Day

The new short film by CEE us. Centrala Communities Network and Reimagine Redditch (above, top of page), explains the aims of Centrala and the partnership’s latest work with the Eastern European community in Redditch – a celebration of the creative and cultural traditions connected to the festival of ‘Andrzejki’ – St Andrew’s Night.

Inspired by Slavic tradition, St. Andrew’s Night (the eve of St. Andrew, 29–30 November) is a time for games, fortune-telling, storytelling, and playful rituals—a moment to reflect on the past, imagine the future, and share joy with others.

Traditional games, fortune-telling, and shared experience helps people to reconnect with memories from home, cultural traditions, and community. It’s also a chance to meet others who understand the joys and challenges of life away from home.

The creative workshop in the video forms just one part of an ongoing project in Redditch called ‘Our Cultures, Our Stories’, which started in early 2024.