About

Hello!

I’m Arusa, an award-winning writer, editor and speaker with a passion for music, diversity and accessibility within arts and culture. I’m the Music Programme Manager at Edinburgh’s Summerhall, where I curate the in-house music programme and work with local and national promoters to bring artists to the city.

I’ve written a book about women in UK hip hop called Flip the Script, which is out now via 404 Ink. I have bylines in publications like the Guardian, NME, Clash, Time Out, The Forty-Five and the Scotsman, and I’m part of the We Are Here Scotland team, supporting and amplifying the voices of creatives of colour in Scotland.

I’m the current Editor of Fest Magazine, which annually covers the best of the Edinburgh Festivals. I recently worked as a Researcher on the new BBC Scotland podcast Word Up!, and as a Commissioning Editor for Bella Caledonia, and was formerly Editor of The List, the UK events and entertainment publication based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Alongside Halina Rifai, I curate the Amplifi series of gigs at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh. Amplifi places an emphasis on artists of colour, attempting to show that line-ups and bills in Scotland can be representative of the incredible contemporary music scene we have in this country. In 2022, we won the Inclusion Award at the Creative Edinburgh Awards for our work on the series and have thus far had acts like Bemz, Brownbear, Bee Asha, Djana Gabrielle, AMUNDA and more involved.

As a passionate advocate for diversity and accessibility, I’m on the board of the Scottish Music Centre, working to support the organisation’s aim to champion the wealth of talent that abounds in Scotland’s musical community. I’m also on the board of the Music Venue Trust and I chair the panel that annually decides the winner of the Scottish Album of the Year award.

As a woman of colour, diversity and inclusion are important to me and I’ve driven multiple initiatives to showcase the work of women and people of colour in the arts. I led The List’s 2019 Hot 100, choosing to have an all-female list for the first time. In the magazines I edited, more than 60% had female cover stars, of which 60% featured women of colour, and one trans woman. This is directly in contrast to industry inclusivity trends and is a key personal achievement. My recent post at Bella Caledonia focused on underrepresented voices in Scottish arts and culture, questioning what we collectively want our cultural landscape to look like in the future.

My dissertation during my MSc explored the experiences of women of colour in magazine publishing. I spoke with women of colour from the industry in numerous roles, many of whom described their position as ‘lucky’, a narrative that I’m keen to change.

Diversity is an uncomfortable topic for many. I encourage dialogue around the subject, as well mentoring and the collaboration of organisations to drive inclusivity. Small steps can make a huge difference.

If you’re looking for an accomplished writer or speaker, diversity and inclusion advice, help to deliver innovative campaigns, or assistance programming a panel or curating a line-up for an event, I can help you. I’m also a DJ, specialising in hip hop and R&B, and have appeared at numerous events and venues including Sneaky Pete’s, the Rum Shack, Summerhall, Bongo Club and Leith Depot.

Follow me on Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn, or get in touch at arusaqureshi [at] gmail.com.