This year’s theme, Compassion, prompts a day of music, talks, workshops, film screenings and a new public art commission by artist Murugiah, a collaboration with Choose Love.
Join us and our partners at Southbank Centre (Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX) for a day full of creative, fun and engaging events to celebrate the 25th year of Refugee Week UK!
8 JUN – 7 JUL 2023
Murugiah: COMPASSION
Location: Riverside Entrance Foyer, Level 1
A bold and joyful new art piece celebrate this year’s Refugee Week theme, Compassion. More info here.
23 JUN 2023, 12 noon
Mix & Move: Women for Refugee Women
Location: The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall
Come and learn traditional dance moves from different countries as part of Refugee Week. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 11:45 – 13:00
Singing Our Lives
Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer
Singers, instrumentalists and poets share their responses to the theme of Compassion – and give you a chance to join in the singing. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 13:00 – 14:30
Migrant Futurism: Kenmure Street
Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer
This panel brings together community activists and organisers to reflect on the power of the Kenmure Street protest, two years on. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 14:00 – 15:00
Amani Collective Showcase
Location: Riverside Terrace, Level 2
Modern African music’s breathtaking variety gets a proper outing. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 14:30
About Us! Artists’ Scratch Showcase
Location: Level 5 Function Room, Green Side, Royal Festival Hall
Calling all artists! Are you a creative looking for a safe space to share your ideas? Are you looking for inspiration for your next creative project?
TAKE PART AND APPLY HERE If applying, please make sure you’re available on the day, and do join us even if you’re not selected. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 15:00
Migrant Futurism: Françoise Vergès
Location: Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall
Presented by Radical Ecology, Françoise Vergès will deliver a key-note presentation in the Purcell Room, reflecting on the context of the UK’s Illegal Migration Bill and drawing connections between forced migration, climate breakdown, gender violence and systemic violence to insist on the need to develop and enhance international solidarity in the face of these interconnected planetary crises. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 15:00
West African Dance Workshop
Location: Riverside Terrace, Level 2
Dance soca, reggae, calypso and Afro-jive in this family-friendly event. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 16:00 – 16:20
Migrant Futurism: Angela Camacho
Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer
Presented by Radical Ecology, Angela Camacho will perform a Future Ancestors Ritual to conclude an afternoon’s programme on Migrant Futurism, including a panel on the Kenmure Street Protest of May 2021 and a keynote talk by decolonial activist and theorist Françoise Vergès. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 17:00 – 18:45
Refugee Week Short Films Screening
Location: Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall
Watch exceptional short films from around the world, made by refugee and asylum-seeking film-makers, and curated by Sarah Agha, founder of the Arab Film Club.
Titles include:
Yellow by Elham Ehsas – 12’
In Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Laili walks into a Chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full body veil from a Talib shopkeeper, and face a new future.
Panic! by Laith Elzubaidi – 8’
Every night Layla and her sister Noor are forced to huddle under candlelight to protect themselves from an ominous threat. Until one night, a more psychological threat endangers them both.
Matar by Hassan Akkad – 23’
The story of Matar, a Syrian asylum seeker in England. When confronted with the hostile immigration system he is forced to live on the fringes of society and rely on his bike to survive. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 18:45 – 19:30
Songs to Heal and Empower
Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer
Samia Malik celebrates the launch of her new album, ‘Songs to Heal and Empower’ – music that extends and subverts the traditional Urdu Ghazal form. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 19:30
Rainbows Across Borders
Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer
Listen to a performance by the Rainbows Across Borders community choir, a voluntary self-help group for LGBT asylum seekers fleeing persecution. More info here.
25 JUN 2023, 20:00 – 21:30
Notes on Compassion: Words, Music and Us
Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer
Celebrating 25 years of Refugee Week – join us for an evening of great music and newly commissioned spoken word, in response to this year’s Refugee Week theme, Compassion. More info here.
Further information about all of these events can be found on the Southbank Centre website.
