Nottingham played host to seven days of events to celebrate the 20th anniversary of International Refugee Week...
Between Saturday 16 - Saturday 23 June Nottingham celebrated the 20th anniversary of International Refugee Week, with events facilitated by the Nottingham Refugee Week Committee from Nottingham Beyond Borders - a local sub-group of the national Refugee Week UK charity. They coordinate with a wide range of people, ranging from creatives and local businesses, to multi-cultural faith groups and charities in order promote the Nottingham Refugee Week broad and diverse programme.
Between the Let’s Eid Together: Master Chef event at the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum (NNRF), the World Food Night hosted by the Nottingham Arimathea Trust (NAT), there was an endless amount of gorgeous global cuisine to be indulged in. Besides providing plenty of delicious food, the festival also provided plenty to think about. Several events went some way towards addressing the enduring question of how best to show sensitivity, solidarity and sympathy towards the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers, as well creating opportunities for them to share their experiences in a way that isn’t tokenistic or patronising.
The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupescreening at the New Art Exchange was one event that didn’t shy away from this question. Having dissected the documentary in a post-screening discussion, the audience agreed that no one in these communities owes anyone their story of trauma and that they should not be coerced into sharing their stories under false pretences of empowerment as we saw in the film.
Moreover, the 101 Beads: Kurdistanbook launch at City Arts Hockley was another event that challenged its audience to rethink the way in which they advocate for Refugees and Asylum Seekers. Guylan Nazhad opened up about the potential that photography had as a medium to unpretentiously bridge the existing gap between the imagined geography promoted by Western governments and media of both the physical and human environments of Kurdistan, and the real, first-hand lived experiences of people in the frontlines of those environments of conflict.
Other well-received events in the Nottingham Refugee Week festival programme included the Phosphorus Theatre Company’s performance of Dear Home Office: Still Pending…at Nottingham Playhouse, The Classical Music Roadmapwith Jonathan James at the Theatre Royal Concert Hall, and the Tiger and Claylaunch at Five Leaves Bookshop. The week closed with a finale party at Nottingham Contemporary Café Bar, and a Diversity Fashion Show hosted by the Hyson Green Cultural Festival with Mojatu Foundation, who campaign to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at Nottingham Trent University.
Although we can now rest and recover from the whirlwind week, the Nottingham Refugee Week Committee are galvanised by the roaring success of this year’s celebrations and are already looking forward to next year. We are keen to involve as many people as we can in organising this festival that is widely celebrated by Refugees and Asylum Seekers “for those who cannot”.
For more information about Nottingham Refugee Week, or to get involved with hosting an event at next year's festival, email [email protected]. Alternatively, find “Nottingham Beyond Borders” on Facebook and Instagram as well as @nottsbebo on Twitter.
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