A poem by Blessing, winner of our Refugee Week poetry competition in Portsmouth.
Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
A Refugee Week Blessing
Sunday, June 20th, 2010Refugee Week is all about celebrating the contribution refugees make to the UK and honouring their personal stories of survival. Often the events organised to mark the week showcase individual talents and skills that are already well-known and much-lauded – like the performers on the main stage at London’s Celebrating Sanctuary for example.
But Refugee Week events can also uncover new voices and spotlight hidden gifts that may have hitherto been obscured by the shadows cast by the asylum process and the pain of the experiences that led people to flee.
Posted by Esme Peach
Is there such a thing as The Refugee Movie?
Saturday, June 19th, 2010Following our panel discussion ‘From Casablanca to Calais: exile on celluloid’ at the BFI Southbank to mark Refugee Week, Terence Wright, Professor of Visual Arts at Ulster University, examines the classic film Casablanca and asks whether ‘the refugee movie’ has become a distinct genre.
Posted by Esme Peach
Asking questions
Friday, June 18th, 2010Had a splendid time at the regular Thursday night quiz at the Swan and Rushes last night. I asked Grant (landlord and quizmaster) if he would include some questions about refugees if I sent them to him. He agreed and allowed me to bring in some leaflets and a poster about Simple Acts.
Posted by Aidan Hallet
What a (refugee) week!
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010Refugee Week – here it comes again! This year we’ve got ourselves involved in loads of stuff in Leicester and, halfway through the week, it looks as though it’s all gone really well.
(more…)
Posted by Aidan Hallet
From Casablanca to Calais: exile on celluloid
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010Lights, camera, Refugee Action! On 10 June, a panel of film luminaries will look back on the portrayal of refugees in film as part of a unique event organised by Refugee Action and Brightwide for Refugee Week. As our event at the BFI Southbank draws near, Samira Ahmed, our panel chair, reflects on some of the films that will be debated in NFT1 on 10 June.
Posted by Esme Peach
‘Home truths from the Home Office’: Our volunteer reports on a talk by UKBA whistleblower
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010I’m a social work student currently on placement at Refugee Action in Bristol, so I’m really interested to learn as much as possible about what people seeking asylum and refugees really experience here.
When I heard that Lou Perrett was giving a talk about her time as a UKBA case owner, I had to go – especially after reading the recent article in the Guardian about her revelations. The talk was organised by Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers and over 200 people packed the small community centre it was held in. (more…)
Posted by Esme Peach
Refugee Action’s volunteer Musa takes to the stage with Michael Palin for the interview of a lifetime
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Musa and Esme take to the stage with Michael Palin at the Royal Geographic Society
Since he applied for sanctuary in the UK on his birthday in January 2003, Musa Ibrahim has become all too accustomed to being interviewed. From his asylum interview and subsequent appeal hearings to his volunteering interview at Refugee Action and appearances on local radio, Musa has spent the past six years fielding questions posed by a whole host of British people.
Indeed as a volunteer with our Refugee Awareness Project in Bristol, talking to community groups about his experiences of being a refugee, he got pretty used to being grilled about why he fled Somalia by school children, youth workers and firefighters alike.
So when Michael Palin asked to interview him as part of a new series of talks at the Royal Geographical Society, he was more laid back than I was. (more…)
Posted by Esme Peach
The Secret Diary of a Karaoke Addict Aged 31 and 3/4: Everyone’s a winner, baby, at Charioke-by-sea
Thursday, November 19th, 2009The competition in Brighton was not quite as fierce as in London, given the smaller number of teams and singers. What’s more, despite being the biggest team on the day, the THT team was not as full to the brim of show offs as other teams, so also fielded less contenders than others.
However, that’s not to say that the talent wasn’t as impressive by the sea – oh no. There were plenty of X-Factor-missed-me-this-year starlets to prompt a standing ovation or five.
Posted by Esme Peach
The kindness of strangers
Monday, November 9th, 2009
One of the striking things about doing the walk to raise money for destitute asylum seekers has been people’s generosity in giving. I have raised significantly more on my justgiving page than I ever anticipated, and some of those gifts have been very generous.
Posted by Aidan Hallet