‘Boliyan’ is a Punjabi word that translated means singing/reciting through story. Jagdis: ‘Multilingual Boliyan’ are a combination of languages put together through song, music, dance and drama.

Here, Jagdis and Lekan share their journey of developing the Multilingual Boliyan, the impact of Covid-19 on the project, and their future plans for the performance. Watch a brief video, filmed by Dr Rajinder Dudrah, of Jagdis Kumar, Lekan Babalola and Steven Sahota in rehearsal together before the COVID-19 lockdown came into effect: As part of her preparations she is in conversation with her father and they share their stories about how the wedding ceremonies will be different and the same, bringing at least two cultures together. Multilingual Boliyan tells the story of a British Indian female who is planning her wedding to her British Nigerian fiancé. Jagdis Kumar, Steven Sahota, and Lekan Babalola in rehearsal. Our performance features the languages of Punjabi, Yoruba, English, and Hindi, and the creativity of the artistic languages of bhangra, giddha, Bollywood, Afrobeats, and West African Yoruba music. Slanguages teamed up with artists Jagdis Kumar, Kiran Johal, Steven Sahota, and Lekan Babalola from Birmingham to commission an original and new ‘Multilingual Boliyan’. Boliyan are often sung at celebratory occasions such as weddings, birthdays, and the annual harvest festival to give thanks for a good produce. They accompany the Punjabi folk music genres of bhangra and giddha and involve singing, clapping to a beat, musical sounds played via South Asian percussion instruments and dancing. ‘Boliyan’ or bolis are couplets sung in the Punjabi language.

Punjabi boliyan