The Scene: A small
café in the particularly windy Wirral locale.
A group of four
locals are laughing in a corner, surrounded by various notepads and mugs of
coffee. The casual observer may deduct little more than a shared joke – but it
wasn’t a joke that gave us cause to laugh but inspiration. We had in fact just
christened Homegrown Bananas – and so began a journey that is still in its
early stages but very much blooming.
The titular banana
began its journey at local café Toast on June 19th and over the
course of two hours a good proportion of the capacity crowd shared a song, poem
or story. Main band of the evening The Huers opened and closed proceedings with
their acoustic grace and it was in many ways an excellent opening shot for
Homegrown Bananas.
The banana cart then
moved around the locale taking in various venues including most recently the
behemoth space of West Kirby Library. Of course, with a venue like that there
is room for doing things on a grander scale! With the usual open-mic element
firmly in place, the welcoming aroma of Flaming Bean Coffee in the air and
various themed activities taking place around the space including a much
borrowed from library display themed around bananas, ecology and Transition
Town themes.
But a name like
Homegrown Bananas can say much – and mean a lot more! The initial imagery of
‘Homegrown’ implies organic warmth. A home produced meal or vegetables fresh
from the garden. But in a broader sense it implies a cultivation of the local
environs – from the field to the local, independent business. In other words –
it’s localism in action. A show of
support from the local community to its immediate assets and amenities.
But what of the
‘Bananas’? Well, it’s a roughly yellow fruit you may say. In fact, the humble
banana is imbued with much symbolism. It can be art, food, décor and most
importantly an economic tool. After all, if we don’t look after the people who
produce our bananas, and by extension their local economy where will we get our
bananas from?
Indeed, at the heart of the banana and
Homegrown Bananas itself lies a resilience to withstand any challenge. Peel
away the skin and the reward is a nutrient filled food – essential in life. In
the same way that music and community are. Homegrown Bananas is therefore a
positive mix of the creative, the local and the community based ethos of
Transition Town. With monthly events held in an independent venue in the West
Kirby area there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing you at a Homegrown Bananas
event soon.
The typical gathering
will feature a headline performer opening proceedings with the floor soon
thrown open to those who have a song, poem or story they want to share to the
always open minded and appreciative crowd. That includes you right? See you
soon and when the banana comes your way – get ready to share your song, poem or
story…
Words by Creative Watch Area © 2013
Homegrown Bananas is presented by Transition Town West Kirby and Creative Watch Area Promotions and takes place monthly.
No comments:
Post a Comment