Leading actresses Michaela Coel, Cynthia Erivo and Masali Baduza are amongst special guests headlining the BBC’s debut CDX (Creative Diversity Xperience) event taking place later this month.
The line-up was announced this week for the two-day interactive event, starting 28 July, when viewers will hear from diverse leaders and tastemakers across the creative industries about the issues important to young people.
These include 1Xtra’s DJ Target and Radio 1’s Clara Amfo, Normal People and Derry Girls actress Aoife Hinds, writer and filmmaker Lucy Sheen, as well as creative director and music manager Grace Ladoja MBE, who manages Grime artist Skepta.
Friends Clara Amfo and the Emmy Award-winning Cynthia Erivo will sit down for an intimate spotlight conversation and viewers can expect an exciting masterclass from BBC’s I May Destroy You writer and star Michaela Coel.
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During a Zoom press briefing on Tuesday, June Sarpong, director of creative diversity at the BBC, said: “We thought it was really important that this wasn’t just about talking but also about doing, so the masterclass is also about teaching creatives how they can go that step further in terms of their creativity and learn from one of the best.”
A full list of headliners and the programme of live sessions will be announced over the coming weeks, but so far a music masterclass has been planned with a stellar line-up of UK artists and Beyond Yellow Face Casting, covering topics like cultural appropriation, the power of social media and why Asian creatives are forgotten in the film industry.
Other thought-provoking sessions include: Diversity for Every ‘body’; Cancel Culture, hosted by Linkup TV; a comedic look at microaggressions with stand-up comedians; what it means to be Black and Scottish and balance ethnicity alongside regional identity; and Brown Girls on the Rise, presented by head of digital pilots at the BBC, Ramaa Sharma.
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Ramaa said: “We’re trying to make sure our segments go deep but go broad, so we’ve tried to create an environment where we have Black and south Asian perspectives in particular.
“Brown Girls on the Rise is a segment in which a group of south Asian women from around the world are going to be in conversation about how they’re tackling cultural taboos within the community and helping each other navigate those taboos.”
CDX is anticipated to have a global reach through a new interactive platform called Reactoo, hosted on the BBC’s Creative Diversity website. This will allow audiences to host their own virtual rooms remotely, where they can watch CDX live with friends.
Miranda Wayland, the BBC’s head of creative diversity, added: “We want this to be a one-stop shop for ethnic minorities to find stories that they resonate with and maybe haven’t really associated with the BBC…but also for them to find things they feel passionate about and understand.”
Visit the CDX website and follow #CDXlive on Twitter as well as the BBC’s social media accounts for updates.
Written by Vicky Gayle – Follow her: @vi_gayle
