Mandinga Arts Group’s website, Facebook page and Instagram account are all down and the group has publicly apologised on their Twitter account. “We have managed to keep every single one of our libraries open, we want to make sure they are a safe space.”Ĭllr Huggett also asked if there was “any likelihood Vision will be brought back into Redbridge Council” in response to the incident.ĭeputy leader Kam Rai responded that the council would take a decision based on the results of the investigation once it was complete. I have no idea how they did it but they dropped the ball and we will get to the bottom of this.
“They have thousands of times over the last 12 or 13 years. “Vision are an independent contractor, who have been in play since 2009 informally and 2011 formally and they have been very good all the way along. “Not a penny of council taxpayer money was spent on this, this was wholly commissioned by Vision with money that came from an Arts Council England grant. Everybody concerned will be held to account for hiring such performers. He said: “I’m a father of four children and three daughters, what we saw was obscene and it should not be there.
REDBRIDGE CENTRAL LIBRARY MONKEY FULL
Parents need to be assured this will never happen again.”Ĭllr Athwal agreed it was “an extremely serious matter” and reassured councillors there would be a full investigation into how the event was “commissioned, organised and overseen”. She told Cllr Athwal: “It is your ultimate responsibility to ensure services are carried out correctly. Despite the monkey costume’s rainbow colouring and complaints suggesting otherwise, the group does not describe itself as LGBT-related.Īt an overview scrutiny meeting last night, opposition leader Linda Huggett asked why the group was booked when its “own website shows obscene costumes”, adding that it had made the council look “rather ridiculous” and “enraged residents”. Mandinga Arts Group aims to promote carnival culture and takes its name from a Latin American slang term for devil. Vision, a charity set up by Redbridge Council to run its culture and leisure services, hired Mandinga Arts Group to perform at Redbridge Central Library in Ilford on Saturday, July 10.Ĭouncil leader Jas Athwal insists the event was shut down “within seconds” after parents reported one of the performers, dressed as a monkey, had a fake penis and exposed backside and nipples.
The leader of Redbridge Council insists “everybody concerned will be held to account” after “obscene” performers were hired for an event aimed at children last weekend.