Kiota

In 2018, Shagufta co-founded Kiota Bristol with vocal artist, improviser and producer Aisha Ali. The platform was created in response to the isolation they both experienced as artists of global majority backgrounds within Bristol’s predominantly white theatre and arts spaces.

Shagufta was inspired by her time with Bristol Black Writers, whose support helped her to stop writing for the white gaze and find her authentic voice as a poet. Aisha, equally driven by the need for change, wanted a space to grow as an artist without having to navigate constant misrecognition and cultural disconnect.

With the support of The Wardrobe Theatre, Kiota Bristol held its first event in February 2019. The evening featured powerful performances and panel discussions exploring identity, racism and the pain of assimilation.

Shaufta and Aisha also developed a podcast called Kiota Labs - series of 6 podcasts celebrating BIPoC artists in Bristol and the surrounding areas, adapted from the original shows at The Wardrobe Theatre.