Afrocats & The Whitworth host inspiring ACE Symposium

In July 2025, Afrocats and The Whitworth came together for an unforgettable day at the long-awaited ACE Symposium - a celebration of our award-winning partnership, the communities we’ve built, and our shared commitment to social inclusion across Greater Manchester.

Since February 2022, Afrocats and The Whitworth have worked side by side to deliver free, culturally relevant creative programmes for families, and thanks to funding from Arts Council England, we’ve provided four half terms of accessible activities including drumming and dance to visual arts, all designed to welcome, inspire, and empower.

The symposium brought this work to life with a packed programme of inspiring keynotes, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities.

Guests included VCFSE organisations, cultural venues, artists, students, researchers, and volunteers, all united by a passion for inclusive creative practice.

The day’s programme included welcome drinks and registration, introduction to the partnership and project, project case studies, collaborative working, creative workshops, artist development, and an exploration of the project legacy and what’s to come.

From creating collages to moving to the beat in dance and drumming workshops, the day was filled with moments of joy, learning, and connection.

Speakers shared best practices, tackled challenges, and explored new ways of approaching community collaboration, highlighting how working with global majority artists deepens cultural competence and fosters more meaningful impact.

Maisha Kungu, Afrocats team member and senior mentor and dance facilitator reflected:

‘It’s all about creating change through creativity, and providing safe, welcoming spaces for global majority communities and sanctuary seekers to create art and find community.’

And Fiona Cariss, Volunteering and Civic Engagement manager at The Whitworth, said on the joy of togetherness:

‘Once again, I’m filled with joy and enthusiasm being around these wonderful people.

‘My favourite part today was coming together, it felt like a celebration - I’m excited to see where our learning and connections go across the whole city, and even further as well.’

The ACE Symposium was more than an event - it was a vibrant celebration of culture, creativity, and collective action.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us, shared their voices, and made the day so special.

Follow Afrocats and The Whitworth to hear about future programmes, events, and opportunities to get involved – let’s keep building a Greater Manchester where every voice is heard, every culture is celebrated, and every community thrives.