Bona Eek - The Polari Project

Bona Eek - The Polari Project

Example of polari in action

Your Heritage

Old Trafford
Trafford
Initiative Arts Ltd
£69400
The Bona Eek project focused on rediscovering and documenting the largely lost language of Polari, examining its origins and its influence in contemporary language and life in LGBT+ communities and beyond.

Polari is a language that borrows terms from other languages and slang, and was used as a sort of secret code by gay men during a time when homosexuality was illegal.

The goal of the Bona Eek project was to ensure that the influence of Polari, its cultural heritage and current usage is documented and retained for future generations in a creative and accessible way.

As part of the project various events were held to engage the public in this fascinating area of heritage, including the Polari Mission Live! event at Contact Theatre, an exhibition in The John Ryland Library as well as various guided tours and talks across Manchester.

The project also involved a symposium on Polari, bringing together researchers, academics and interested members of the public to hear a range of talks exploring the subject. The project established a website, social media network and created a downloadable Polari app to enable access to the information and images captured as part of the project.