Paul Jatayna, one of the lead organisers of the Philippines’ queer rave community ‘Elephant’, has been chosen as an international delegate for the Sound City Conference, happening on 28 April in Liverpool, England. Supported by the British Council, Jatayna is set to speak on the panel about ‘Gender Balance and Inclusivity in International Territories’.
Sound City is the UK’s independent music conference and Association of Independent Music (AIM) UK’s ‘Conference in The North’. For over 15 years, they have remained at the forefront of the global music conference circuit and welcomed leading industry figures, emerging artists and aspiring music business professionals from across the world to Liverpool for a full-day programme of educational panels, in-conversations and networking parties.
“We are honoured to be working alongside the British Council to bring an outstanding group of speakers from around the world to Sound City 2023. With a shared passion for creating new business opportunities, advancing gender equality, and shaping a brighter future for generations to come, we are confident that their insights and expertise will leave an indelible mark on the music industry and inspire positive change for years to come,” said Jo Whitty, Sound City COO.
This delegation will open opportunities for Jatayna to talk about the Filipino LGBTQIA+ community and to share the core values of Elephant: enabling a safe place for all and promoting platforms for marginalized artists in the drag and music scene.
“It is important to me that I get to represent the queer community that I belong to and to raise awareness of the achievements and learning curves that we face –especially on the political and economic influence on queer nightlife psychology. I am also very keen to learn from other queer communities from other parts of the world and to understand how they customise and create their own safe space,” Jatayna shares.
“We are thrilled to have Paul Jatayna represent the Philippines and the Filipino queer community as a speaker at Liverpool Sound City. Equality, diversity and inclusion have always been part of the British Council’s values, and it’s fantastic that Paul will have the opportunity to share the stories of our LGBTIQIA+ community to the rest of the world,” says Mich Dulce, British Council in the Philippines’ Head of Arts.
The conference will happen alongside the 3-day Sound City Liverpool festivities, from 28 – 30 April 2023, featuring local, national, and international emerging talents. To know more: https://www.soundcity.uk.com/
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.
In 2023, the British Council in the Philippines is marking our 45th anniversary, celebrating our commitment to building connections between the UK and the Philippines through our work in education, arts, English, and exams.
