Seeking some self-improvement in her life, journo, consultant, blogger and mentor, Chantelle Fiddy (tries to) find a life. Activist Raving…

It’s definitely become cooler to be an ‘activist’ since the G20 protests and the financial crisis, which has left people feeling it’s very much ‘us’ against ‘them’ – whether that’s the government, police or the banks. Sounds political. Well it is. But imagine if you could be a legal rebel, an activist, and achieve the feat by raving? Well you can.

A few weeks back Ctrl.Alt.Shift,  alongside our partners Riz Ahmed and British Underground, created United Underground, an event which bought the knowledge  to the Southbank Centre. United Underground shook up south London with a line-up which alternated the likes of Bashy, Afrikan Boy and Mpho with speakers including Noel Clarke, Reprieve (who campaign against the use of music as a form of torture, a technique used at Guantanamo Bay), gay rights activists from Baghdad and director Peter Kozminsky.

“We wanted to put on something that brings in a crowd who might not normally go there, and inject the amazing spaces with a fresh underground energy,” explains Riz (who played Shifty, in the film described as the new Lock Stock..). “The event is about re-connecting music, and other arts forms to activism in a way that is bold and doesn’t feel stale or swept under the carpet.”

And we didn’t just focus on the obvious. As a salute to club culture, United Underground booked promoters Urban Nerds, ManMakeMusic and Dirty Canvas to show the 1,000 strong crowd how they get down. Artist Sarah Maple was so into it she even created bespoke artwork for the flyer. Also making their mark were the Craftivists – a group who get their point across via sewing, cutting and pasting. I decided to make my mark by taking up the challenge to produce a 12-page fanzine live on the night. Admittedly I got the cover printed in advance, but thanks to volunteers, up and coming writers and my Ctrl.Alt.Shift hacks, we manage to give away a souvenir of the event.

With the event a sell-out, and the warm-up event, Writing On The Wall, also proving a success with 10 artists creating pieces around corruption in just a few hours, here’s hoping this groundbreaking combination is the first of many.

Chantellefiddy.blogspot.com, See the videos at RWDmag.com

Ctrlaltshift.co.uk for more info on United Underground events.

Tags: Blogs, Chantelle Fiddy, Fiddy's Word Of Whatever