Music and song structure collective memory. In community settings, they act as shared reference points that bring people together across age, background and experience.
Through the project Connecting to our Cameroonian Roots, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Ensemble Manchester places music and song at the centre of community events designed to strengthen intergenerational connection.
These events are not performances only. They are moments of transmission.
During our community gatherings, participants engage with:
• Traditional songs and chants
• Rhythms linked to ceremonies and daily life
• Personal stories connected to specific melodies
• Collective singing as a form of shared memory
From Cameroon to Manchester, these musical forms document migration, adaptation and continuity. Each event provides space for elders to share context and for younger participants to listen, question and document.
Community events serve clear purposes.
• Preserve musical heritage through live practice
• Encourage dialogue between generations
• Collect documented testimonies linked to music
• Reinforce a sense of belonging within the local community
As part of the project, we organise seven community events at Ensemble Community Centre. Music and song feature as central themes, alongside food, art, language and ritual. These gatherings support our wider objective of collecting around 100 oral histories.
Example of a community event format.
An elder introduces a song traditionally used during celebrations. Participants learn the rhythm together. A facilitated discussion follows, documenting when the song was sung, why it mattered and how it travelled to Manchester. That exchange becomes part of the project archive.
These events produce tangible outcomes.
• Recorded audio and video materials
• Written contextual notes
• Intergenerational participation records
• Digital content published with free public access
Music creates shared experience. Documentation transforms that experience into heritage.
By anchoring community events in music and song, the project ensures that cultural transmission remains active, collective and accessible to future generations.
