Counterpoints

Encounters
2025-06-16 11:00 - 2025-06-22 16:00 (Europe/London) | Yorkton Workshops, 1-3 Yorkton St, London, London, E2 8NH, United Kingdom
ENCOUNTERS is a site-specific installation developed by Kingston School of Art’s MArch Architecture students in collaboration with MA Photography students, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration rooted in circular economy principles and reuse strategies. Featuring photographic and moving image works, the exhibition responds to the themes of migration, refuge, and displacement.
The exhibition is running from 16 to 22 June, 11am – 4pm each day, at Yorkton Workshops.
Alongside the exhibition, a panel discussion will explore cultural production and research practices related to migration, displacement, and social justice. These conversations aim to deepen engagement with the themes at the heart of the project.
The panel discussion will be led by Dr Maria Mencia, an artist-researcher in media arts and digital poetics, codirector of the research group Sound/Image/Media/ Encounters (SIME) and postgraduate coordinator at Kingston School of Art. Guest speakers will include Dr Amak Mahmoodian, a multidisciplinary artist and educator, Kate Watson, visual artist, researcher and educator, Liz Hingley, artist and anthropologist and Edwin Mingard, visual artist working principally with moving image.
The panel will take place on Thursday 19 June 2025 from 3 to 6pm. Reserve your free place here. Spaces are limited.
There will also be a Private Viewing on Thursday 19 June 2025, from 6.30-9pm.
This project is created in partnership with Refugee Week (the world’s largest arts & culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary), Counterpoints (a leading national organisation in the field of arts, migration and cultural change) and Yorkton Workshops (home to award-winning design studio Pearson Lloyd).
The Project:
Encounters began as a live brief module for MA Photography students, developed in partnership with Refugee Week and Counterpoints Arts. The students were invited to respond to a brief set by the Refugee Week team and independently devise projects that explore the themes of migration and displacement. For many, this marked their first direct engagement with refugee experiences and the complexities surrounding displacement.
Tackling such a profound and challenging subject matter has proven to be both a demanding and deeply rewarding journey. It was a process of learning, and in many cases, of unlearning: questioning assumptions, cultivating empathy, and discovering new ways of seeing. This exhibition presents a diverse range of creative responses, reflecting not only on the realities of displacement, but also on the process of coming to understand those realities.
The final installation emerged from yet another meaningful Encounter – this time with 17 exceptionally talented MArch Architecture students. Volunteering their time, they collaborated with MA Photography students to create a site-specific installation that responds to the themes of displacement and refuge. Their design is grounded in circular economy principles, bringing a sense of lightness/ transience and a commitment to adaptability, reuse and sustainability.
This exhibition is, above all, a reflection of all these Encounters – between disciplines, between people, and between perspectives. It seeks to convey the insights and growth our students have experienced as they engaged with this vital and urgent topic.
Participating Artists:
Anchen Li, Anna Jannepalli, Tommy Pai, Edith Robinson, Eghbal Raoufifard, Jaewoo Lee, Jay Lin, Justin Pappoe, Meng Zhang, Jingyao Yan, Rui Zheng, Shubham Kakade, Tilan Xue, Zixin Luo, Tom Cai, Yang Tonge, with Nana Varveropoulou as MA Photography module leader.
Rify Hossain, Chelsea Richards, Cam Heslop, Priyanshi Dhanrajbhai Jain, Pete Goding, Alice Parker, Azsvina Ragunathan, Eadan Filbrandt, Babitha Ravi Kumar, Telma Ferraris, Rama Shetty, Rio Jablonski, Ian Karuhanga, Berfin Tas, Valerie Wan, Shadi Rashedi, Anisha Iqbal, Rajan Savaliya, with Aoife Donnelly as MArch Architecture Lead.

Haiyu - Screening & Screentalk
2025-06-18 18:00 - 20:00 | The Barbican, Silk St, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DS
Join us for a screening of documentary film Haiyu, intertwining the life narrative of Mariem Hassan with her relentless quest for Western Sahara’s liberation. Mariem’s life and music have been deeply affected by the ongoing tragedy committed to the Sahrawis throughout the colonial era continuing up to this very day. Her songs have been given comfort and hope and have been used as a tool in the fight for independence in Africa’s last colony, Western Sahara.
This year marks 50 years since the Sahrawis people were forced into exile. Winner of the Sheffield Doc Fest Youth Jury Prize, Haiyu will be followed up by a Q&A with the filmmakers and Danielle Smith, founder of Sandblast, an organisation dedicated to building awareness and solidarity for the indigenous Saharawis of Western Sahara.
Get your tickets here. This film is presented at the Barbican in partnership with Counterpoints.

Roundhouse Refugee Week Open Mic
2025-06-18 18:30 - 21:00 | Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road London NW1 8EH
Welcome to the Roundhouse Refugee Week Open Mic event! Join us on Wed 18 Jun 2025 for an evening filled with creative performances and showcases
With this year’s Refugee Week theme “Community as a Superpower” we are celebrating creativity with various performances by young people from Community organisations in collaboration with the Roundhouse and groups and organisations working with young people with refugee backgrounds – Babylon Migrant Project, Compass Collective, New Citizen Gateway, Young Roots and Phosphorus Theatre. Project supported by Our HeartBeats DJ project.
The event is a celebration of diversity and unity and presents the perfect opportunity to come together as a community.
Let’s make this evening memorable and show support for refugees through the power of creativity and expression. See you there!
More info HERE!

No Direction Home x Greene King
2025-06-18 20:00 - 21:30
Join us for a night of fresh stand-up comedy at The Tatterhalls Tavern in Knightsbridge from the No Direction Home collective, plus 5-minute open mic spots for local comedians hosted by Laith Elzubaidi. Entrance is Free, all welcome and opened from 8pm. Also featuring Selam Amare and Teddy.
A special collaboration with Greene King for Refugee Week.
Enthusiastic about getting into comedy? Book your open mic spot via email at 7263@greeneking.co.uk!

Bread & Roses - Screening and Q&A
2025-06-20 18:00 - 19:30 | BFI, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XT, United Kingdom
Join us for a screening of Bread & Roses, a searing portrayal of three women fighting to recover their autonomy after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Directed by Sahra Mani, the film captures the spirit and resilience of Afghan women through the depiction of their harrowing plight and struggle for their rights and freedom.
The screening is at 18:10 on Friday 20 June, followed by a Q&A with Sahra. Get your tickets here.

BFI Southbank is presenting this film in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Counterpoints as part of Refugee Week 2025.

V&A: Threads of Joy and Community
2025-06-21 11:00 - 16:00 | V&A, Cromwell Rd, London, SW7 2RL
A day of family-friendly workshops and performances to celebrate Refugee Week, inspired by themes of joy and small acts of kindness.

“you’re a man now, boy” by Isaac Ouro-Gnao
13:00-13:20 and 15:00-15:20 at the Raphael Gallery
you’re a man now, boy is a dance performance weaving hip hop, contemporary, and magical realism into an empathetic experience. Through voice and dynamic movement, it explores the joy, the hardship, and the community found through the healing of mental health difficulties and trauma.

Collaging workshop with Community Arts Box

11:00 – 16:00 at the Learning Centre
Free drop in collaging workshop focussing on this years Refugee Week theme: Community as a Superpower

V&A have curated a day long of family friendly Refugee Week activities, check out the full programme here:

Paired by Sup?
2025-06-23 18:30 - 22:00 | Jumbi, Unit 4.1, Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Rd, London SE15 3SN
For Refugee Week, SUP? are excited to unveil a new concept of their supper club series in partnership with Counterpoints and Refugee Week UK, pairing together our favourite chefs from the refugee community with musicians of a shared background.

For this first edition, we are incredibly excited to invite rapper, Chef and TV personality Big Zuu as he joins heads with Chef Majeda Khoury (The Syrian Sunflower) to curate a one off bespoke menu, celebrating their shared Levantine heritage at much loved South London venue, Jumbi.

Join us for a warm evening championing the power of food and music in bringing communities together, as Big Zuu and Majeda explore the this year’s Refugee Week theme ‘Community as a superpower’, whilst raising awareness for the displaced experience and fundraising for the South London Refugee Association.Expect the best of Levantine classics and flavours reimagined, music, prize auctions and conversations around cultural connections in the hopes to offer tangible takeaways on supporting local refugee communities.

What’s included:

Food
Expect a generous 3 course menu of Levantine classics curated by Big Zuu and cooked by Majeda. Veg and Non veg options available at checkout.Drinks will also be available at Jumbi’s bar.

Pay it forward
As part of our ‘pay it forward’ system, we reserve 5 seats for asylum seekers from the local hostels to attend the supper club, so if you can’t make the event and want to support, there’s an option to purchase their supper club ticket – or you can make a contribution towards it if you’re already joining!

Tickets are limited, make sure you don’t miss out and reserve your seat now! BOOK HERE!

If you would also like to donate directly to South London Refugee Association click here.

Allergy information: As the kitchen is used for multiple settings, unfortunately nothing can be guaranteed to be allergen or gluten-free – if you have any concerns at all about allergies or intolerances, please get in touch: contact@supsupperclub.com.

About SUP?

Borne from a desire to dispel myths around immigration, SUP? is a non profit organisation empowering displaced people through sharing food, music and solidarity. We host supper club events to create consciousness-raising conversations that highlight the experience of people who are forced to migrate countries, whilst celebrating their cultures, through their own lens.

About Majeda

Majeda Khouri is a Syrian chef and human rights activist, also known as the Syrian Sunflower is dedicated to bringing the vibrant flavours of Middle East to London. Majeda sought refuge in the UK in 2017 and began catering to integrate into British society, share her rich culture, and support human rights causes. She used food as a way to tell her story and raise awareness about the situation in Syria.
About Big Zuu
Big Zuu is a London based Rapper, Grime artist, TV Chef & Entrepreneur has made his mark with a dynamic blend of music and entertainment, whilst remaining a vocal advocate for refugees and marginalised communities.
About Jumbi
World renowned Jumbi is a hi-fi music bar and restaurant in the heart of Peckham known for celebrating the sounds and flavours of the African-Caribbean diaspora.

Make sure to arrive on time on the night and help us highlight the true power of community through shared spaces. Sahtein!

Moving Roots: Diaspora Communities x Climate Action
2025-06-25 13:00 - 16:00 | Pelican House, 144 Cambridge Heath Road London E1 5QJ
To celebrate Refugee Week and London Climate Action Week, Climate Outreach is hosting an event exploring the interconnections between climate action, migration and diaspora communities.
According to the latest RACE report*, the UK’s climate sector remains one of the least diverse in the UK, despite climate change impacting all of us. We know the UK’s society is made up of many diverse diaspora communities connected to cultures, lands and communities all over the world.
Many of these groups are playing a key role in ensuring the climate change conversation includes their community’s voices and that climate action is shaped by their unique challenges and experiences.
In partnership with Counterpoints Arts, this event aims to highlight the integral role diaspora communities play in supporting and providing agency to those impacted by climate change and climate-driven migration, despite often not being included in the conversation.
We will also showcase the creative and unique ways diaspora members and leaders are taking climate action and making vital links to their cultures and community spaces, ensuring the climate conversation includes people from all backgrounds and represents diverse experiences.
Join the event to hear from:
– Fahmida Miah, Climate Outreach
– Farah Ahmed, Our Diaspora Futures
– Jebi Rahman, Bangladeshi Diaspora Climate Action (BDCA)
– Zamzam Ibrahim, Somalis for Sustainability
– Ania Drewniok, POMOC
Alongside the panel discussion, there will be delicious plant-based food served, an artistic performance, and opportunities to connect with others in the climate and migrant justice space!
Sign up before 20th June to attend.
BOOK HERE!
* Racial Action for the Climate Emergency (www.race-report.uk)
* Photo credit: Photo by Zen Chung from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/women-gardening-5529587/

No Direction Home @ Cutty Sark
2025-06-27 18:30 - 20:00 | Cutty Sark, King William Walk, London, SE10 9HT
Hosted by Selam Amare, with comedians Roann Hassani McCloskey, Alaa Shehada and Victor Rios.
6:30pm, Cutty Sark, pay what you can
This is part of a series of events at Royal Museums Greenwich to mark Refugee Week.
Event timings:

Doors and bar open: 5.45pm
Event starts: 6.30pm
Event finishes: 8pm

Host: A proud Ethiopian, Selam Amare is an entrepreneur and comedian. Selam is the founder of Selam Le Ethiopia and Azmari Bet – an initiative that promotes Ethiopian culture through music, performance and food. Selam has created a very funny and charming storytelling persona of her own, sharing experiences of both Ethiopia and England.
Roann Hassani McCloskey has over 10 years’ experience within the creative industries occupying many roles. They have worked as an award-winning writer (My Father the Tantric Masseur and Who Murdered My Cat?), director, producer, script supervisor, production consultant and as an actor, most recently at Shakespeare’s Globe (Macbeth). Roann is Algerian-British, Queer and many other things that have led them to focus their storytelling on the heart and humour that runs through tragedy. Their work centres their curiosity and desire to bring stories left at the margins to the centre where they belong.
Alaa Shehada is a Palestinian actor, comedian and a graduate of The Freedom Theatre acting school in Jenin camp, a Palestinian theatre company nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. He is also the co-founder of the Palestine Comedy Club – a platform for Palestinian comedians to share their stories, humour and Palestinian culture.
Nominated for the TV Collective’s Breakthrough Leaders Programme 2025, Victor Rios is a performer, artist, theatre facilitator and filmmaker. Victor is the co-founder of LatinX Actors UK, a database of Latin-American actors and performers based in the UK. He has worked with organisations including the Royal Festival Hall, Red Cross, Young Roots and Brixton House.
The No Direction Home comedy collective has been running since 2019 to support new comics from refugee and migrant backgrounds, featuring workshops, expert tuition and gigs around the country.
No Direction Home is produced by Counterpoints Arts as part of our PopChange initiative.

Dokhol দখল ’84: Housing Policy and Migration (Postponed)
2025-06-29 00:00 | Queen Elizabeth Foyer, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London SE1 8XX
This event has been postponed from 29 June; the new date will be announced here shortly.
A panel of artists, activists and architects share stories of housing activism in past movements and present-day campaigns.
Artist Sonia Uddin’s project Dokhol দখল ’84 is an important starting point which looks at how Bengali homeless families who were housed in appalling conditions in hostels took on the Council, occupying Camden Town Hall in 1984. The collective organising power of this movement was captured in the archival materials which she shares as an important, historical archive.
Housing policy affects and applies to many across the country, including migrants. Join us, creatives and activists, on the day to learn about community empowerment and how to harness collective action in order to fight for housing as a basic human right that should be available to all.
Free.
In partnership with Southbank Centre and part of Refugee Week 2025.

Babylon Albion
2025-06-29 15:00 - 16:00 | Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London SE1 8XX
A new voice on nature and belonging, writer and artist Dalia Al-Dujaili delves into the layered ties between land, myth and identity.

‘Whoever said nature is still has never watched the seasons migrate.’
A lyrical and vivid new work, Babylon Albion offers a poetic reflection on belonging – not only to a place or a people, but to the stories that bind them together.
Drawing from Arab and Islamic mythology alongside English folklore and the Christian pastoral tradition, Al-Dujaili moves between the real and the mythical – from date palms to oak trees, from Lamassu to unicorns – inviting us to rethink how we connect with place and with the living world around us.
It is, in many ways, a love letter – to Britain, to Iraq and to the earth we all share. It gestures towards a different kind of nativeness: one shaped by layers, by openness, and by the restless hum of history, myth, and movement.

Dalia Al-Dujaili is an Iraqi-British writer, editor and producer based in London. She is the online editor of The British Journal of Photography. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, Dazed, GQ and more. She is the founder of The Road to Nowhere Magazine and in 2023 she was the Producer of Refugee Week. She holds an MA Hons in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh.
Saqi Books is a leading independent publishing house of trade and academic books on the Middle East and North Africa. Founded in London in 1983, but with its roots in Lebanon, Saqi’s publishing programme has led to a rigorous reassessment of Arab cultural heritage. Saqi has been at the forefront of establishing Middle Eastern culture in the UK and beyond for more than four decades.
Saqi’s publishing – encompassing art, photography and cookery books, language, literature and philosophy, history and current affairs and much more – is recognised all over the world. They offer an independent platform for writers and artists from all places and cultures. Their authors have attained international prominence not only for the quality of their prose, but for their authoritative and innovative contributions to public debate.
Saqi was awarded the British Book Industry Award for Diversity in Literature, the IPG Diversity Award and the Arab British Culture and Society award.
Tickets: £10 +£3.50 booking fee. Concessions 25%.
BOOK HERE.
In partnership with Southbank Centre and Saqi Books. Part of Refugee Week 2025.

Refugee Week 2026 Conference (Online)
2026-02-25 10:30 - 12:00
Join us for the Refugee Week 2026 Conference and find out how to get involved in this year’s festival!
Do you want to find out how you can get involved in this year’s Refugee Week?
Sign up on Eventbrite
Are you passionate about how arts, culture, sports and community activities can help us move together towards a shared goal and shape hopeful futures for all?
Join us for the Refugee Week 2026 Conference and find out the answer to these questions and more!
The Refugee Week conference is for anyone who is interested in taking part in Refugee Week, the world’s largest arts & culture festival celebrating the contributions, resilience and creativity of refugees.
Whether you’ve been part of Refugee Week for years or are interested in getting involved for the first time, everyone is welcome!
The Refugee Week 2026 Conference is taking place online, so join us from wherever you are in the world.
The conference will be followed by an optional Q&A and an opportunity to network. Please sign up for this session separately here.
Refugee Week 2026
This year’s Refugee Week is taking place from 15th to 21st June, and anyone can take part by:
(1) supporting their local events
(2) taking part in simple acts
(3) holding their own event or activity (big or small!)
The theme of Refugee Week 2026 is Courage.

Refugee Week 2026 Conference (online)
2026-02-25 10:30 - 13:30
Join us for the Refugee Week 2026 Conference and find out how to get involved in this year’s festival!
Do you want to find out how you can get involved in this year’s Refugee Week?
Are you passionate about how arts, culture, sports and community activities can help us move together towards a shared goal and shape hopeful futures for all?
Join us for the Refugee Week 2026 Conference and find out the answer to these questions and more!
Full details and free booking
The Refugee Week conference is for anyone who is interested in taking part in Refugee Week, the world’s largest arts & culture festival celebrating the contributions, resilience and creativity of refugees.
Whether you’ve been part of Refugee Week for years or are interested in getting involved for the first time, everyone is welcome!
The Refugee Week 2026 Conference is taking place online, so join us from wherever you are in the world.
Refugee Week 2026
This year’s Refugee Week is taking place from 15th to 21st June, and anyone can take part by:
(1) supporting their local events
(2) taking part in simple acts
(3) holding their own event or activity (big or small!)
The theme of Refugee Week 2026 is Courage.

Take Part in Refugee Week
2026-04-14 10:30 - 12:00 | Online via Zoom, via Counterpoints 128 Hoxton Street, London, N1 6SH, United Kingdom
A partnership event exploring Refugee Week 2026

Join this event to learn more about Refugee Week and the intersection of arts, mental health and displacement with Counterpoints Arts.
Refugee Week is the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Refugee Week 2026 will take place from 15–21 June and will explore the theme Courage, marking the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention.
The session will include a case study and practical guidance on embedding good mental health practice when planning Refugee Week events or working with people from displaced backgrounds.
Sign up to the event here
This event is a partnership between Counterpoints Arts and a collective of UK creative health networks: The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance; London Arts and Health; Arts, Culture, Health & Wellbeing Scotland; the Wales Arts, Health & Wellbeing Network; the Northern Ireland Creative Health Network and Arts Care.

Agenda

10:30 AM – 10:40 AM
Welcome & housekeeping

CHWA

10:40 AM – 10:55 AM

About the Week

Counterpoints

About the Week – and how you can take part

10:55 AM – 11:05 AM
Case study
11:05 AM – 11:20 AM

Counterpoints + Mental Health Guidebook

Counterpoints

11:20 AM – 11:45 AM

Discussion & Q&A
11:45 AM – 12:00 PM

Closing remarks

Refugee Week 15-21 June 2026
2026-06-15 00:00 - 2026-06-21 00:00
Refugee Week is the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
Established in the UK in 1998, Refugee Week is co-ordinated by Counterpoints Arts and takes place every year around World Refugee Day (20th June). It has grown into a global movement with over 2 million participants, across over 20 countries. Through an exciting programme of thousands of events, activities and media campaigns, Refugee Week brings together people from different backgrounds to connect beyond labels, and foster a deeper understanding of why people are displaced, and the challenges they face when seeking safety.
Refugee Week 2026 will be 15-21st June with the theme of Courage.
By providing a platform for people who have sought sanctuary to share their experiences, perspectives and creative work on their own terms, our vision is for refugees and asylum seekers to be able to live safely within inclusive and resilient communities, where they can continue to make a valuable contribution.
This year, Quentin Blake’s joyful illustrations will sit at the centre of the Simple Acts campaign — a series of nine everyday actions anyone can take to show solidarity with refugees and help build more welcoming communities. Blake’s bright, playful drawings will appear on postcards, posters and other materials for communities, schools, libraries , arts organisations and individuals to use at their own events.
Read more about Refugee Week, including how you can take part.

It Sounds Like Courage: Music and Solidarity
2026-06-26 19:30 - 20:50 | Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX
A celebration of music and spoken word shaped by migration – brought together by courageous creative talents for Refugee Week.
Co-curated by Southbank Centre with Anoushka Shankar and Counterpoints Arts, It Sounds Like Courage brings a unique blend of artists who stand in solidarity with displaced people all over the world.
Full details and booking via the Southbank Centre website.
Connected by the unifying theme of ‘courage’, the night features music and poetry born from generations of migration, mapping the sounds and creativity that grew out of resistance movements.
Featuring artists with lived experience of displacement, musicians with migrant heritage and high-profile allies in the fight for justice and equality, It Sounds Like Courage is a night to imagine new possibilities together, with community and solidarity at its centre.
Hosted by comedian Nish Kumar, with performances from singer and flautist Nai Barghouti with the London Contemporary Orchestra, Mozambican rapper MoYah and spoken word from Nikita Gill and Salena Godden, with more to be announced.
This event sits at the heart of Refugee Week during our 75th anniversary year and is presented by Southbank Centre in partnership with Counterpoints Arts.
Anoushka Shankar. Photo by Laura Lewis

Counterpoints Lecture with Elif Shafak
2026-06-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX
Global bestselling writer and renowned activist Elif Shafak explores whether creativity can help heal our divided world in the inaugural Counterpoints lecture.
For this first iteration of the annual Counterpoints lecture, Shafak explores how imagination and artistic practice shape our understanding of the world.
Full details and tickets from Southbank Centre website
Shafak reflects on the link between creativity and courage, and how creativity can open paths to belonging, imagination and collaboration in times of conflict, fear and political division.
Drawing on academic, literary critic and activist Edward Said’s concept of the ‘counterpoint’ perspective of displaced people, Shafak considers how artists from regions affected by war, violence and political extremism can offer vital insights and new ways of seeing, questioning and imagining. As part of this, Shafak unravels the idea of ‘storyland’ as a motherland.
Elif Shafak is an award-winning and highly acclaimed British-Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into 55 languages. The author of 21 books, including 13 novels, she is a bestselling author in many countries around the world.
Shafak holds a PhD in political science and is President of the Royal Society of Literature and a Public Humanities Fellow at the School of Advanced Studies (SAS). She is a leading voice on freedom of expression, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights.
Part of Southbank Centre’s Refugee Week 2026 programme, presented in partnership with Counterpoints Arts. Refugee Week is a nationwide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Inspired by refugees, the theme this year is ‘courage’.
Photo by Ferhat Elik
