BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Counterpoints - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Counterpoints REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20230326T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20231029T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20240331T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20241027T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20250330T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20251026T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240415T213000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240415T223000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240304T143021Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000400-1713216600-1713220200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:No Direction Home featuring Sara Pascoe DESCRIPTION:Join us for the latest gig in our brilliant stand-up comedy collaboration with Show & Tell and Soho Theatre\, headlined by Sara Pascoe\, hosted by Laura Smyth and featuring two No Direction Home comedians (tbc) \nCounterpoints Arts runs No Direction Home\, a project for new comics from refugee and migrant backgrounds\, featuring workshops\, expert tuition and gigs around the country. Created in partnership with Camden People’s Theatre and comedian Tom Parry. Previous shows have featured headliners such as Sindhu Vee\, Nish Kumar\, Rosie Jones and Romesh Ranganathan. \nFull details and booking: https://sohotheatre.com/events/no-direction-home-3/ \nhttps://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NDH-Second-Vox-Pops.mp4\n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/no-direction-home-featuring-sara-pascoe/ LOCATION:Soho Theatre\, 21 Dean St\, London\, W1D 3NE CATEGORIES:Comedy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SaraPascoe.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240418T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240504T160000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240313T200433Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000403-1713434400-1714838400@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Voice Notes at New Art Exchange DESCRIPTION:Voice Notes is an international art project exploring the role of the telephone in experiences of exile. Featuring recorded phone calls left by young refugees and asylum seekers from around the world\, the exhibition investigates displaced voices\, creative networks\, transnational communication\, and different modes of talking and listening across cultures. \nThis exhibition has been co-created with young people who have fled war\, violence\, conflict and persecution and yet who continue to offer stories of solidarity and hope. At the heart of the installation are multidirectional ultrasonic speakers that are positioned to create a network of intersecting telephone messages. As visitors move around the gallery\, they tap into stories of home and belonging\, landscape and loss\, and communication and connection. In turn\, visitors are invited to shape new ways of thinking about sanctuary by contributing their own voice notes as part of our evolving telephonic soundscape. \nPresented by New Arts Exchange\, Voice Notes is led by poet Dr Sarah Jackson\, Associate Professor in Modern and Contemporary Writing at Nottingham Trent University\, in collaboration with acclaimed sound artist and founder of the Space21 international festival Hardi Kurda\, and refugee arts organisation Compass Collective\, whose recent work includes the award-winning professional development arts programme Next Steps. The project is supported by international partners\, including New Art Exchange\, Counterpoints Arts\, Refugee Roots\, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature\, Slemani UNESCO Cities of Literature and STEP. It is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/voice-notes-at-new-art-exchange/ LOCATION:New Art Exchange\, 39-41 Gregory Boulevard\, Nottingham\, 6BE UK\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Literature & Spoken Word ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Voice-Notes-e1710360384958.webp END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240430T174500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240430T210000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240321T074625Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000404-1714499100-1714510800@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Makers & Creators 2024 Showcase DESCRIPTION:TERN & Counterpoints Arts are delighted to invite you to witness the launch of more than a dozen new refugee-led ventures into London’s arts & creative sectors! Expect an evening of inspiration\, connection\, and celebration as a new wave of creative founders pitch their businesses and showcase their work. \nJoin fellow creative industry professionals and art lovers to support these emerging creatives by sharing your valuable feedback\, ideas\, and opportunities. \nRegister for a free ticket via Eventbrite \nEntrepreneurs will pitch\, display and demo their offerings in the following categories: \nEvents & Performance\, including Olena Nesterenko\, mind-blowing bubble artist & founder of L Show\, and Racqueline Changunda\, balloon garland stylist and founder of Meracqui Events. \nFashion & Products\, including Anil Qasemi\, activist\, writer\, and founder of wonderful hat retailer Hatopia\, and Oksana & Oleksii Chauin\, founders of Light Craft Family\, a range of lovely oak LED nightlights manufactured in Ukraine and assembled by hand\, with love\, here in London. \nCreative Communities\, including Ravi Rasaiah\, founder of Payanam and creator of a new photography course for refugees & asylum-seeking artists\, and Khrystyna Oryschak\, curator behind print shop Artists Against War. \nFine Arts\, including painter Karina Kucherenko\, and multimedia artist Mariia Besuza. \nCounterpoints are working alongside curator & TERN Alumni Tasala Seifi\, to design a one-off exhibition showcasing original pieces by the fine artists. \nEnjoy refreshments & live entertainment alongside the art\, products\, and pitches. \nTERN’s Makers & Creators is the UK’s first creative sector incubator for refugee artists\, designers and makers. Over 5 immersive months\, programme members develop their business\, venture or brand. Starting with creating a roadmap to launch\, cohort members build assets\, develop their stories\, and access targeted business support and opportunities that can lead to a sustainable creative career. The programme culminates with the Showcase event\, where entrepreneurs pitch & demo their offerings to the public. \nMakers & Creators is offered by TERN – The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network. TERN is an ambitious social enterprise on a mission to enable refugees to thrive through the power of their own ideas. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/makers-creators-2024-showcase/ LOCATION:Museum of the Home\, 136 Kingsland Road\, London\, E2 8EA\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Craft & Design,Visual Arts ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Makers-Creators-Showcase-Eventbrite-Banner-2024-3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240505T123000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240505T190000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240424T223854Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000411-1714912200-1714935600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Hip Hop Garden at Alkebulan - African Storytelling DESCRIPTION:Using hip hop and permaculture values\, this interactive workshop will explore environmentalism\, songwriting and performance.\n\nJoin MoYah and KMT Freedom Teacher for this free taster session that is part of a wider programme covering wellbeing\, food growing and cooking\, enterprise and employability\, event management\, social movement and green structures.\n\nMoYah and KMT Freedom Teacher will perform after the workshop\, 15:00-17:00\, and participants who feel ready to take the stage will also have a chance to share their work. \n\nBorn in Mozambique during a 16-year war\, MoYah was forced to flee his country as a political refugee & move to Lisbon at a young age. Inspired by his parents broad musical taste & the impact of Rap music whilst living in Portugal\, he quickly learned that music could be used not only for entertainment but also as a powerful tool for self exploration & social expression eventually leading him to writing raps that addressed issues relating to identity\, social injustices & spirituality from the perspective of a child of the African Diaspora. \n\nKMT Freedom Teacher KMT combines his love for music and nature\, grounded in a deep respect for the beauty and abundance of Pachamama (Mother Earth). With over 20 years of leading positive social change and raising awareness for a multitude of social issues through the powerful words and rhythms of Hip Hop music\, KMT demonstrates a non-exhaustive passion for the environment and conservation. His goal is to entertain and educate\, as he addresses issues of global food security\, providing solutions for local food growing systems. \nThis event is part of DIASPORA! \nDIASPORA! festival is a vibrant celebration of people\, music\, film\, poetry\, dance\, storytelling\, and more\, taking place at venues across the city on the Early May Bank Holiday weekend. These events aim to reflect the variety of talent within the region’s cultural communities. \n\n\n\nPart of Counterpoints’ networking in South West.\n\nRegister HERE. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/hip-hop-garden-at-alkebulan-african-storytelling/ LOCATION:The Trinity Centre\, Trinity Rd\, Bristol\, BS2 0NW CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Sustainability & Climate Justice ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/e107950_i197650_s4.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240520T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240520T190000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240514T101611Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000415-1716231600-1716231600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:BAFTA Masterclass: Representations of Migrants and Refugees in documentaries DESCRIPTION:Join us for a masterclass in collaboration with BAFTA as we explore the representation of migrants and refugees in documentaries. You can buy tickets (£10) after signing up for a free BAFTA account by visiting the BAFTA events page here. \nStep into the world of impactful storytelling and the art of capturing truthful refugee experiences on film. Led by documentary filmmakers\, learn the delicate balance between authenticity and empathy as we explore the nuances of representation. Discover powerful framing techniques that elevate narratives\, shedding light on the resilience and humanity within refugee communities.  \nFrom ethical considerations to creative approaches\, this masterclass aims to demonstrate the tools to craft compelling and dignified portrayals. Whether you’re a seasoned filmmaker or an aspiring documentarian\, join us as we amplify voices\, challenge perceptions\, and drive positive change. \nThis will be followed by an opportunity to network with refugee and asylum seeker creatives and filmmakers. \nPanelists:\nSarah Agha\, actor and presenter (The Holy Land and Us – Our Untold Stories\, BBC)\nBeyan Taher\, producer (Name Me Lawand) \nMore speakers to be announced. \nThis event is the latest instalment of a series of events exploring the importance of authentic storytelling of refugees onscreen\, and the positive impact of collaboration with creatives who have lived experience of migration\, in order to build narrative power and create social change. \n  \nThis event will be captioned. The panel discussion with be live-captioned. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/bafta-masterclass-representations-of-migrants-and-refugees-in-documentaries/ LOCATION:BAFTA\, 195 Piccadilly\, St. James's\, London\, W1J 9LN\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Film and Photography,Pop Culture ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image.php-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240522T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240522T143000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240425T103812Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000413-1716382800-1716388200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Assemblages of Sanctuary: Art\, Displacement & Mental Health DESCRIPTION:Join us for this online panel to reflect on the role that art can play in having a positive impact on the wellbeing and mental health of sanctuary seekers when working in creative settings.\n  \nAs part of this year’s Creativity and Wellbeing Week\, we are pleased to invite Thahmina Begum\, Dana Olărescu\, Amanda Camenisch and Therese Westin\, along with project participant Frieda N. Coleman\, to speak about their socially engaged artistic practices and to reflect on their experiences running arts-based projects with refugees and asylum seekers. \nCreative spaces of sanctuary are vibrant assemblages where artists and communities with lived experience of forced displacement come together to co-create dynamic spaces that embody an expansive sense of hope and possibility. \nIn this online panel conversation\, we ask – what role can art play to hold spaces that foster a sense of safety and promote wellbeing for refugees and people navigating the asylum system? How do they as creative practitioners navigate the hostile systems and structures that are detrimental to the wellbeing and mental health of sanctuary seekers? What kind of support structures can they put in place to look after their own wellbeing when working with communities confronted by vulnerability? And how can their experiences open up a critical space for learning and reflection for others with an interest in working in this space? \nThe online panel will last approximately 1.5 hours\, including space for questions or reflections. \nThe webinar will take place on Zoom and a meeting link will be sent to attendees in advance. Closed captioning will be available. \nThis conversation is part of Counterpoints Arts’ two-year programme focussing on mental health\, displacement and the arts running across 2024 & 2025\, and is generously supported by The Baring Foundation. \n  \nBook your free ticket here. \n  \nMeet the Speakers\nDana Olărescu\nDana Olărescu is a socially engaged artist with a focus on challenging minority exclusion and environmental injustice. Through participatory methodologies that democratise access to art and knowledge\, she aims to give agency to underserved migrant groups and people habitually excluded from decision-making processes\, so they can become active co-producers of culture. \nHer projects have been supported by\, among others\, the Arts Council\, Counterpoints Arts\, UCL Culture\, Invisible Dust\, and Urban Wilderness\, and presented at institutions in the UK and abroad\, including Tate Modern\, the London Short Film Festival\, the Low Carbon Design Institute\, Art Gene\, x-church\, ArtHouse Jersey\, Art Walk Projects\, Incheon Art Platform (South Korea)\, and La Virgule (France). \n  \nThahmina Begum\nThahmina Begum lives and works in Leeds\, Yorkshire. She is an Interdisciplinary Artist\, Poet\, and Workshop Facilitator. Begum has exhibited internationally\, nationally\, and hyper locally. Begum is a qualified and registered Art Psychotherapist (HCPC\, BATT). Her work explores cultures\, identities\, belonging and British /Bangladeshi/Muslim Diaspora. Begum’s work explores stories\, hidden narratives and storytelling through art and art making. Begum is passionate about making Art accessible for all sections of society and the promotion of art to improve our health and wellbeing. She love’s how Art can gives voices to communities/people that have been silenced. \nBegum’s work ranges from printmaking\, collage\, embroidery\, painting\, drawing\, poetry\, and creative conversations. She love’s working with Communities and groups to support and ease their ideas around art and what it means to them. She attended Leeds Arts University. \nBegum’s recent work/commissions include working with British Library (Food without Borders 2021-22)\,(Community History Project 2021) (Get Creative 2022-203) (Mapping Our Better Life\, 2024) (Our Stories\, our lives – Migration Stories\, Treasures Gallery\, London St Pancras\,2024) Leeds Art Gallery (Advisory Panel) (Shifting Perspectives and Conversation Table\, 2022) Yorkshire Sculpture Park (Concert for Bangladesh\,2021)\, (Walk a mile in my shoes\, 2022) Tetley Gallery (The Colour Pallette\,2021)\, LEEDS 2023 (Sarees and Street signs 2021 -22) and Yorkshire Sculpture International (Sylhet in my Suitcase\,2021 -22) Tara Theatre/British Council/Britto Arts Trust (Artist Make Spaces) (International Commission) Runnemede Trust -Artist in Residence (Racial Equality and Migrants Summit 2022) Commonwealth Theatre\, Bradford (Off the Curriculum\,2023) Woven in Kirklees (Dewsbury Fashion Show) University of Leeds and East Street Art –Cultural Institute (Creative Labs\, 2023). \n  \nAmanda Camenisch and Therese Westin\nAmanda Camenisch and Therese Westin\, London-based artists and wellbeing practitioners\, create immersive experiences through installation\, sculpture\, sound\, and performance art. They facilitate both individual and collective experiences\, often involving participation in workshops\, concerts\, and performances. Drawing from their background in wellbeing\, they craft meditative sculptural landscapes\, inviting participants to engage in sacred practices and fostering spaces for active imagination and play. \nTheir collaborative projects focus on activation and regeneration\, prioritizing the experiences of participants through a trauma-informed approach. Notable projects include a commission by The Brent Biennial to work with women from a local shelter\, resulting in sculptures exhibited at the Metroland Gallery and permanently installed at the shelter. They are currently completing a 14-month collaborative project supported by Arts Council England\, involving refugee centers and a women’s shelter\, with outcomes including exhibitions\, ceremonies\, and mentorship programs. Their performance project\, “A Home Is A Cloud\,” explores embodied experiences of trauma and displacement\, aiming to build strategies of home-making through community building and healing practices. \nSelected partnerships\, workshops and lectures: SPACE Ilford (London)\, The Museum of Home (London)\, University of Chicago (USA)\, CSM London\, and Universität der Künste Berlin\, Arts Council England\, Melissa Network (GR)\, Hackney Migrant Centre\, Marylebone project\, Jesuit Refugee Services\, Asian Women Resource Centre\, Metroland\, Arts and Health Hub\, Counterpoints Art\, Communitas (GR)\, House of Annetta Therese and Amanda have been awarded the Community Engagement Artist Award in 2021 and in 2023\, Arts Council England Project Grant 2021 & 2022. \n  \nFreida N. Coleman\nFreida N. Coleman\, born in Hopkins\, Belize\, is a long-term participant in projects facilitated by Amanda and Therese. She is a Garifuna woman who came to England in 2019. As a mother of twin girls\, she draws strength from her indigenous roots and traditions\, instilling in her children a deep connection to their heritage. Freida’s journey in London has been one of resilience and self-discovery\, navigating challenges such as postpartum depression and cultural displacement.\n\nHer quest for healing led her to explore meditation and holistic practices\, seeking solace in community support networks. Through emotional health classes and music-based meditation sessions\, Freida found empowerment and a sense of belonging. Inspired by the transformative power of sound and movement\, she embraced new experiences\, including the Lyra Project facilitated by Amanda and Therese.\n\nFreida’s involvement in the mentorship program facilitated by Amanda and Therese further deepened her understanding of meditation and self-care\, equipping her with valuable skills to guide others on their healing journey. With gratitude for her mentors and fellow participants\, Freida embraces the endless possibilities for growth and connection that lie ahead. \n  \nPhoto Credits – Amanda Camenisch and Therese Westin © URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/assemblages-of-sanctuary-art-displacement-mental-health/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Mental Health ATTACH;FMTTYPE=application/pdf:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/music-workbook-1.pdf END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240528T211500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240528T221500 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240304T143743Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000401-1716930900-1716934500@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:No Direction Home featuring Nabil Abdulrashid DESCRIPTION:Join us for the latest gig in our brilliant stand-up comedy collaboration with Show & Tell and Soho Theatre\, headlined by Nabil Abdulrashid\, hosted by Lou Sanders and featuring two No Direction Home comedians: Usman Khalid and Victor Rios. \nCounterpoints Arts runs No Direction Home\, a project for new comics from refugee and migrant backgrounds\, featuring workshops\, expert tuition and gigs around the country. Created in partnership with Camden People’s Theatre and comedian Tom Parry. Previous shows have featured headliners such as Sindhu Vee\, Nish Kumar\, Rosie Jones and Romesh Ranganathan. \nFull details and booking: https://sohotheatre.com/events/no-direction-home-3/ \nhttps://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NDH-Second-Vox-Pops.mp4 URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/no-direction-home-featuring-nabil-abdulrashid/ LOCATION:Soho Theatre\, 21 Dean St\, London\, W1D 3NE ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NABIL-ABDULRASHID-NA_1653-WEB-RES-COPYRIGHT-MATT-STRONGE.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240601T000000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240630T000000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240509T161125Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144533Z UID:10000414-1717200000-1719705600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:The Body As Data: People On The Move DESCRIPTION:Thanet\, Dover\, Folkestone\nKent based dance artists Sidonie Carey Green and Tom Tegento are excited to announce the successful funding of its participatory performance project The Body As Data\, working with local communities and artists to explore personal narratives and experience of borders. \nThrough a series of creative movement workshops\, site specific walking events\, and filming using surveillance technologies\, a film will be created exploring how the ‘body-as-data’ can draw its own border by re-imagining the potential of drone technology and the power of walking practice. This project will connect local communities who have experienced forced migration and we will come together to mobilise the border of the Kent coast from Margate to Folkestone. \nThe Body as Data workshops and walks are set to begin on Saturday 1st June in Margate and will run through to Sunday 30th June in Folkestone. Attendees are invited to join by the location they live at\, and are very welcome to join the locations at Margate and Folkestone. \nFull details: www.thebodyasdataproject.com \nCounterpoints Arts is one of the co-commissioners of the project\, which is supported by Arts Council England. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/the-body-as-data-people-on-the-move/ LOCATION:London CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Performance & Dance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BaD-Drone.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240613 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240701 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240531T025133Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T143428Z UID:10000421-1718236800-1719791999@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:London Refugee Week 2024 by Counterpoints Arts DESCRIPTION:This Refugee Week Counterpoints has been working with artists\, organisations and partners across London to deliver an amazingly diverse\, dynamic and delicious programme. \nWe continue to work with our long-standing partners\, there are shoots of new collaborations and partnerships and as always we’re supporting artists already in our network as well as introducing new artists we’ve not worked with before. Some of the themes we’ve been working with are climate justice\, Palestine\, wellbeing\, archives\, gender\, mentoring and popular culture. There are events that are all about participation\, others are for families\, a lovely film programme and as always we are reflecting on the Refugee Week theme\, this year that is ‘Our Home’. \nWe will be sharing our final programme and all the detail about the individual projects and activities\, some are ticketed and have limited capacity. Please keep an eye on our updates and socials. \nHere is an overview of the programme\, there are individual event pages with more information: \n13th June – Our Heartbeats at The Jago – our new pilot mentoring programme for young people with sanctuary-seeking backgrounds who will be learning DJing skills\, who want to perform in front of live audiences\, develop opportunities to collaborate and earn. This project is a brainchild of Kensaye Russel and Dijana Rakovic\, and will be supported by DJ Mahnoor\, Compass Collective\, The Roundhouse\, Southbank Centre and a host of guest DJs and mentors. The event at The Jago is a club night (tickets start at £5)\, and these will be an integral part of the project. Also performing are DJs NOUR and KMT Freedom Teacher. \n17th to 22nd June – When Community is Home at Yorkton Workshops – a week-long programme of networking\, workshops\, conversations and podcasts\, theatre and music performances\, supper club\, exhibition… kite flying for Gaza\, afterschool club\, board games… This programme is supported by Pearson Lloyd design studio who own and manage the beautiful Yorkton Workshops gallery. \n17th to 23rd June – film programme at British Film Institute – a brilliant programme screening Talking with Rivers + intro and Q&A with directors Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Hana Makhmalbaf\, hosted by Victor Fraga of Dirty Movies; Io Capitano + intro and discussion; Àma Gloria\, Green Border and Bye Bye Tiberias. \n20th June – R.A.P. Party at London Library – Poet and playwright Inua Ellams brings his exhilarating live literature phenomenon\, the R.A.P Party\, back to The London Library for a nostalgic\, no-clutter\, no-fuss\, evening of music and words. \n20th June – ‘Our Home Voices of Afghanistan’ at Libreria Bookshop – Magdalena Morsy and Ariana Abawe present a special showcase of Voices from Afghanistan – an audio feature that shares different stories from Afghans from around the world. \n21st June – ‘Sounds Like Home’ – Join the Migration Museum and the Sounds Like Home Choir for a special Refugee Week event\, featuring an international women’s choir sharing songs from the places we call home. \n21st June – We Dare to Dream Screening and Q&A at Museum of the Home – screening of the documentary film about five refugee athletes\, followed by a discussion with Waad Alkateab and Ahmad Al-Rashid. \n22nd June – Refugee Week Walk on the Line – A guided walk from Three Mills to Cody Dock as part of Refugee Week\, produced by the brilliant The Line team. \n22nd June – soon to be announced collaboration with V&A – A beautiful performance by artists Amanda Camenisch and Therese Westin\, and their group of co-creators. \n23rd June – ‘Journeys from Home’ at The British Library – A family workshops with Art Refuge artists Aida Silvestri and Bobby Lloyd\, who will be working with their The Community Table project and maps from the Library’s collection and the families’ own experiences of travelling\, routes and journeys. \n28th June – ‘Room for Dinner’ at Palestine House – an exciting new collaboration with 3EIB\, soon to be opened Palestine House and London Festival of Architecture. An expanded supper club\, collaborative embroidery project\, fashion and book pop-up reimagines the dinner party as a convivial space for the intermingling of culture and heritage. Crucially\, this event will be fundraising funds for a Palestine House – backed safe water project on the ground in Gaza. Tickets soon to be released! \n29th and 30th June – 3EIB presents: ‘Room for Us’ at Palestine House – a weekend of storytelling\, workshops and spotlighting of Palestinian fashion brands.. and food by Hiba. \n30th June – We’re back at Southbank Centre with the Home: Short Films Screening and Q&A with Sarah Agha and From the Lips to the Moon – a music\, poetry and visuals led by electronic musician Pouya Ehsaei and writer-performer Tara Fatehi. \nFor even more events marking Refugee Week in London\, by a host of amazing individuals and organisations\, head over to Refugee Week website and search for what is happening in your area. Here are the ways of taking part in Refugee Week. \nImage: ‘Table Runner’ by Nol Collective\, commissioned by Counterpoints\, 3EIB and Palestine House for Room for Dinner \n  \n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/london-refugee-week-2024-counterpoints-arts-highlights/ LOCATION:Various London venues CATEGORIES:London Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pal-House-collage.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T103000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T170000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240605T160533Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000439-1718274600-1718298000@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:“My Home\, My Voice” – Post Detention Support Conference 2024 DESCRIPTION:Samphire’s Post Detention Support Conference 2024 is on the 13th of June\, and this year\, we are taking part!\n\nArt and creativity can positively contribute to improving our mental health and wellbeing. From having fun and accessing joy\, art can also help foster greater resilience\, increase confidence and create a sense of community and belonging. \nAlongside artist and theatre maker Debora Minà\, we will be co-facilitating a workshop titled ‘Play & Imagination: How creativity can support our wellbeing’ for members from Samphire’s PDSP network. \nThis practical and fun workshop\, offers the chance to try out some creative exercises to access your creative voice and to share your reflections. It is also an opportunity to find out more about our latest report titled\, ‘Creatively Minded and Refugees – Arts\, refugees and mental health’. \nYou can find out more about the conference here. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/my-home-my-voice-post-detention-support-conference-2024/ LOCATION:London CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Mental Health ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Conference-invitation-organisations-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T233000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240529T152416Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000418-1718305200-1718321400@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:OUR HEARTBEATS: A club night for Refugee Week DESCRIPTION:Join Counterpoints Arts for a new club night\, as we showcase our new DJs and fundraise for our newly formed DJ programme. \nJoin us at The Jago Dalston for a night of music and dancing brought to you by the Counterpoints Arts DJ Workshop Graduates as part of this year’s Refugee Week celebrations alongside guest DJ sets from special guests. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the workshops: \nAs part of a newly developed long term initiative to provide an entry point into DJing for young sanctuary seeking people\, DJs Kensaye and Mahnoor have been hosting DJ workshops at The Roundhouse for musically curious young individuals\, bringing electronic music development to Refugee Week for the first time ever. \nIn line with this year’s Refugee Week theme\, ‘Our Home’\, participants have been invited to fuse and blend together global and local sounds that signify home to them. \nNow get ready to groove to their beats as they showcase their skills whilst helping us raise funds to continue growing the programme and produce even more workshops. \n———————— \nEarly Bird Tickets: £5 \nGeneral Release: £7.50 \nOn the Door: £10 \nBuy tickets HERE! \n———————— \nLine up (full line up TBC): \nOur new DJ graduates \nKensaye \nMahnoor \nNOUR \n————————- \nDon’t miss out on this special event as we kickstart Refugee Week 2024 celebrations – get your tickets now now now! \n\nAbout artists: \nKensaye is a Paris-born\, London-based music producer\, percussionist and DJ\, with Haitian and American roots. He has a broad musical style\, ranging from Afrobeats\, pop\, dancehall\, reggaeton\, global bass\, hip-hop and neo soul\, and blends those influences to create unique pieces that are both progressive and radio-friendly. \nKensaye produces for major and independent artists around the world\, creating originals and remixes for acclaimed musicians such as Falz\, M.anifest\, Speech Debelle and Homeboy Sandman. \nHe also composes music for cinema and TV\, with placements in a BAFTA-winning feature film\, documentaries\, adverts and a Netflix series. Kensaye’s approach to collaboration is of support and synergy. He helps independent artists beyond just ‘making a beat’\, but provide solutions to problems they encounter throughout their music journeys. \nKnown for her blend of percussive grooves and dark rhythms\, Mahnoor is a DJ\, BBC radio presenter & founder of refugee supper club SUP? Supper Club. Drawing from her British Pakistani heritage\, from global diasporic sounds and grime beats that she grew up with in London\, to the rave sounds she explored in her late teens living in France\, her eclectic style is characterised by the murkier ends of the UK bass spectrum with South Asian influences that move the dancefloor and bring it together\, like she did at Dour\, and at Le Fil\, Saint\nEtienne.\nShe is also fast becoming a respected curator as part of her Mahnoor Presents shows\, showcasing the best of global British Underground at iconic London venues like Cafe Koko and Ministry of Sound.\nThrough this blend Mahnoor keeps crowds engaged and on their toes\, delivering sets for Wavey Garms and New Balance & Nike too as well as being a regular guest presenter and selector on Rinse and playing across key London venues including Colour Factory\, Phonox & more.\nMahnoor returns to the French music scene delivering one of the most energetic sets at Dour Festival as part of the Daytimers takeover.\nAlongside her BBC Asian Network residency\, appearances also included Paris’ Mahalla\, Rinse FM UK & Rinse France covers\, NTS special and guest mixes across BBC Asian Network\, Worldwide FM\, Reprezent & more. \nNour’s never-ending quest for sounds that resonate with how she expresses herself as an artist is found in between differing genres. As a native Palestinian\, her taste in music is fueled by both inner and outer influences of her culture and her own perceptions of her heritage. NOUR emerged onto the musical playing fields in another exotic land hat was Tulum\, Mexico where she earned the title as a resident DJ at Papaya Playa Project\, the offspring of the veterans of Bar 25\, now Kater Holzig. In this paradise\, NOUR played her unique sounds for 3 seasons\, from 2012 until 2015. \nHer talented mixing reached the ears of the international crowds and in 2015 she ventured off to Scorpios\, a beach club on the island of Mykonos. There she also became a resident Dj for 4 seasons. In Mexico she’s played some of the top festivals in Central America like Akamba\, Tropico\, and Bravo. A true nomadic force of music\, NOUR has played at events like Gardens of Babylon Amsterdam\, Woomoon Ibiza\, Storytellers Ibiza\, Dystopia\, and Acid Sundays. She is also a regular at KaterBlau in Berlin. \nIn 2017\, NOUR’s career blossomed as she ventured on a sonic journey into the field of production\, music anthropology\, sound therapy and crisscross creativity. A collaborative union with Lamat Uuc resulted in her her first EP imprinted on Talavera Records containing a number of original tracks and remixes. This summer she released an EP on the prominent well-known record label Sol Selectas. \nNOUR’S trademark sound- strategically woven with elements of her Oriental roots and cut with edgier beats\, is a refreshing experience to ears on the dancefloor searching to hear something truly unique. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/our-heartbeats-a-club-night-for-refugee-week/ LOCATION:The Jago\, 440 Kingsland Rd\, London E8 4AA\, 440 Kingsland Rd\, London\, London\, E8 4AA\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Music,Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-4.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240614 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240705 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240603T104039Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T143400Z UID:10000431-1718323200-1720137599@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:London Refugee Week: BFI Film programme DESCRIPTION:Announcing our Refugee Week 2024 film programme at British Film Institute – a brilliant programme screening Talking with Rivers + intro and Q&A with directors Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Hana Makhmalbaf\, hosted by Victor Fraga of Dirty Movies; Io Capitano + intro and discussion; Àma Gloria\, Green Border and Bye Bye Tiberias. More details on each of the films being screened below: \n  \nTalking with Rivers + intro and discussion\n+ intro and Q&A with directors Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Hana Makhmalbaf\, hosted by Victor Fraga of Dirty Movies.\nSunday 23 June 2024 14:00 / NFT2 \nTwo new films from the Makhmalbaf Film House explore the state of Afghanistan\, its historical association with Iran and the terrible plight of its people as a result of colonial wars. \nDirector: Mohsen Makhmalbaf\nWith Mohsen Makhmalbaf\, Jawanmard Paiez\nUK-Iran 2023. 50min\nEnglish subtitles \nA film essay featuring a poetic conversation between two neighbouring nations\, Iran and Afghanistan\, as they consider their shared and troubled history. \nScreening with: \nThe List\nDirector: Hana Makhmalbaf\nWith Mohsen Makhmalbaf\nUK-Afghanistan 2023. 65min\nEnglish subtitles \nFilm director Mohsen Makhmalbaf negotiates with international agencies and embassies for refugee relief in this unsettling portrait of artists attempting to flee Afghanistan following the sudden US and allied withdrawal in 2021.Content warning: Contains disturbing scenes. \nBOOK TICKETS HERE \n  \nIo Capitano\nScreening + intro and discussion 17 June 2024 17:50 / NFT3 \nDirector: Matteo Garrone\nWith Seydou Sarr\, Moustapha Fall\, Khady Sy\nItaly-Belgium-France 2023. 121min\nCertificate 15\nEnglish subtitles \nIn this epic drama from the director of Gomorrah\, two Senegalese teenagers attempt to travel across land and sea to Europe.\nSenegalese youngsters Seydou and Moussa\, keen to pursue a music career\, leave Dakar for Europe. Their journey takes them across a vast expanse of desert\, where they encounter vicious bandits and brutal authorities\, then face the perils of a dangerous Mediterranean crossing. Garrone’s powerful drama was thoroughly researched\, using first-hand accounts of the journey to map out the youngsters’ plight. The heart of the film is Seydou Sarr’s extraordinary performance\, aided in no small part by breathtaking cinematography\, moments of magical realism and a compassion that gives voice to the voiceless.Content warning: Contains scenes of torture.\nIn association with African Odysseys. \nBOOK TICKETS HERE \n  \nGreen Border\nScreening 21 – 27 June \nAs part of Refugee Week 2024\, Modern Films is happy to announce the screening of Green Border\, from three-times Oscar-nominated Polish film director Agnieszka Holland\, on Friday 21st June 2024\, at the British Film Institute\, NFT2\, 5:50pm. \nThe film will be shown at the BFI from 21st June until the 27th June. Don’t miss it! \nIn the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so-called “green border” between Belarus and Poland\, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe\, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU.Pawns in this hidden war\, the lives of Julia\, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life\, Jan\, a young border guard\, and a Syrian family\, intertwine. Through weaving together multiple perspectives\, the film\, shot starkly in black and white\, explores the lives of these varied individuals\, shedding light on the realities and challenges asylum seekers face. \nFollowing its World Premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival\, where it won the Special Jury Prize\, GREEN BORDER\, which uses multiple perspectives to look at the refugee crisis in Europe\, opens our eyes\, speaks to the heart\, and challenges us to reflect on the moral choices that fall to ordinary people every day. \n“Agnieszka Holland’s devastating refugee epic reverberates with deep empathy and quiet fury” ★★★★★ Time Out \n“A vital bearing of cinematic witness to what is happening in Europe right now” ★★★★ The Guardian \n“Insists that we not only look but see with clarity what is going on…essential\, urgent and damning”- Eye for Film \nBOOK TICKETS HERE\n \n  \nÀma Gloria\nScreening 14 – 27 June \nDirector: Marie Amachoukeli\nWith Louise Mauroy-Panzani\, Ilça Moreno\nFrance 2023. 84min\nCertificate: 12A\nEnglish subtitles\nA BFI release \nSix year old Cléo spends a final summer with her beloved nanny Gloria\, in this profoundly moving story of chosen family\, duty and innocence lost. Marie Amachoukeli’s solo-directorial debut grabs its audience tightly by the hand\, transporting us back to a child’s world of innocence and turmoil. Six year old Cléo is devastated when the nanny she is devoted to returns to Cape Verde. Granted one last summer in the magical world she has built with Gloria\, Cléo leaves her family in Paris to stay with her nanny and the children she has long been separated from. Newcomer Mauroy-Panzani’s portrayal of the envy\, humour\, delight and darkness contained within Cléo is dazzling\, as she discovers there is a world which no longer revolves around her. Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure\, this coming-of-age tale uses imaginative animation and intimate camerawork to explore questions of class\, culture and race with childlike wonder.Ruby McGuigan\, Programme and Acquisitions \nThe screenings on Sunday 16 June 15:30 NFT4\, Tuesday 18 June 18:30 NFT4 and Thursday 20 June 14:50 NFT4 will be presented with additional descriptive subtitles of non-dialogue audio. \nBOOK TICKETS HERE \n  \nBye Bye Tiberias\nScreening 28 June – 4 July \nDirector: Lina Soualem\nWith Hiam Abbass\nFrance-Palestine-Belgium-Qatar 2023. 82min\nCertificate: TBC\nEnglish subtitles\nA TAPE Collective release \nA daughter’s powerful love letter to her mother and the strength of four generations of a Palestinian family.\nHiam Abbass\, the star of Succession and films ranging from Lemon Tree to Blade Runner 2049\, undertakes a journey back to her native Palestinian village in her daughter Lina Soualem’s tender and award-winning documentary. In her early twenties\, Hiam Abbass left Palestine for Europe in order to follow her dreams of becoming an actor. She left behind her mother\, grandmother and seven sisters. Some 30 years later\, Soualem employs archival footage\, photographs and poetry to excavate her family’s history and four generations of women who each had to make difficult decisions regarding their future. The result\, as Hiam and Lina reconnect with their homeland\, is a moving story of motherhood\, fractured identity and lost homes\, made with warmth and humour. It’s essential and deeply affecting for anyone who has ever wished to understand their mother better. \nThe screenings on Saturday 29 June 12:20 NFT3\, Tuesday 2 July 18:20 NFT4 and Wednesday 3 July 12:30 NFT4 will be presented with additional descriptive subtitles of non-dialogue audio. \nThe screening of Bye Bye Tiberias on Friday 28 June 18:00 will be followed by a Q&A with co-writer Nadine Naous. \nBOOK TICKETS HERE \n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/london-refugee-week-bfi-film-programme/ LOCATION:BFI\, Belvedere Road\, London\, SE1 8XT\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Film and Photography,London Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240617 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240624 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240405T080626Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144533Z UID:10000407-1718582400-1719187199@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Refugee Week 2024: Our Home DESCRIPTION:The theme for Refugee Week 2024 is “Our Home”. From the places we gather to share meals to our collective home\, planet earth: everyone is invited to celebrate what our Our Home means to them. \nRefugee Week is the world’s largest arts & culture festival celebrating the contributions\, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Established in 1998 in the UK\, this annual festival aligns with World Refugee Day\, celebrated globally on June 20th. In 2024\, join us from June 17th to 23rd for a community-powered week! \nRefugee Week is a partnership project coordinated by Counterpoints Arts. It is an open platform\, so anyone can get involved anywhere in the world. \nWe will be publishing our own programme of Refugee Week events in the coming weeks. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/refugee-week-2024-our-home/ LOCATION:London CATEGORIES:Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Our-Home-Poster-1-1-400x566-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240617T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240617T173000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240616T234712Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T110809Z UID:10000445-1718625600-1718645400@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Shaping the story DESCRIPTION:A strategic day of networking\, research and practice sharing – with arts\, media\, research\, philanthropy\, charity and policy sectors. A collaboration between Unbound Philanthropy\, Climate Outreach and Counterpoints Arts.\n  \n‘Over the last six months we have been mapping the work underway in the UK at the intersections of climate and migration. Whilst we have found that a lot is happening\, there is currently a chronic lack of resource\, capacity and connections leading to limitations in the impact of this important work. It is very exciting to see a rapid growth in grassroots organising\, interest from funders\, and awareness of the importance of this work from NGOs and others. A concerted effort is now needed to make the most of the window of opportunity that exists to influence policies\, politics and narratives on climate-related migration.’ Ruth Grove-White & Ben Margolis\, authors of Building Common Ground briefing\, May 2024 \n  \nImage: Counterpoints’ Women’s Climate Justice and Migration retreat\, Hawkwood College\, November 2023\n—————————————————————————————————————————- \nWe are convening a dynamic group of around 50 individuals from the arts\, media\, research\, philanthropy\, charity\, and policy sectors for a series of critical conversations: \nPanel 1: The Ecosystem \nSetting the stage\, we will delineate priorities and share pivotal insights from the newly commissioned report by Unbound Philanthropy. \nChair: Alice Sachrajda\, UK Programme Officer & UK Head of Cultural Strategy – Unbound Philanthropy \nWith Ruth Grove-White & Ben Margolis\, Unbound consultants and authors of Building Common Ground: Yasmin Halima – JCWI; Alba Kapoor – Runnymede Trust \nPanel 2: How We Talk About Climate and Migration \nThis panel delves into the narratives shaping climate and migration\, exploring strategic communication practices and strategies to dismantle toxic narratives. \nChair: Maryam Pasha\, TEDxLondon and Climate Curious podcast \nWith Fahmida Miah – Climate Outreach; André Dallas\, People and Planet; Sangeetha Iengar – Goldsmith Chambers and University of Oxford \nPanel 3: The Storytellers: Art and Climate Justice \nFocusing on the arts\, this session spotlights artists committed to storytelling and socially engaged methodologies\, engaging themes of decolonization\, intersectionality\, and community collaboration. \nChair: Bonnie Chiu\, The Social Investment Consultancy \nWith Dhaqan Collective\, Farah Ahmed – Julie’s Bicycle\, Nana Bempah – POCC \n—————————————————————————————————————————- \nOur intention is to craft a reflective space that showcases the recent briefing by Ruth Grove-White and Ben Margolis on civil society work at the intersections of climate and migration in the UK. The briefing highlights the need for significant investment from funders\, building cross-sector relationships\, supporting diverse leadership\, committing to intersectional work\, and embedding a vision of systemic change. \nWe aim to foster cross-sector networking and explore innovative ways to represent lived experiences\, supporting collaboration and movement-building at the nexus of climate justice and migration. We also celebrate the practices of artists and activists reimagining storytelling around climate justice and global displacement. \nThis gathering aspires to embody these priorities\, fostering innovative and inclusive approaches to the intertwined challenges of climate and migration. \n—————————————————————————————————————————- \nUnbound Philanthropy is a private grantmaking foundation that works to ensure that migrants and refugees are treated with respect and engage with their new communities. We support pragmatic\, innovative\, and responsive approaches to immigration and immigrant integration in the United States and United Kingdom. \nClimate Outreach is the first British charity to focus exclusively on public engagement with climate change. Every year Climate Outreach helps hundreds of organisations think about how they can tell a different climate story. They do this through research and advice\, workshops and training\, and Climate Visuals. \nYorkton Workshops is a home to the award winning design studio\, Pearson Lloyd. Saved from demolition\, by considering the most sustainable\, socially valuable and creatively interesting paths of working with\, preserving and enhancing the existing building – Yorkton is also a gallery\, event space and location available for hire in Hackney\, East London. \n—————————————————————————————————————————- URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/shaping-the-story/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Learning,London Refugee Week,Pop Culture ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-11.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240617T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240622T220000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240530T122512Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000422-1718625600-1719093600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:When community is HOME\, at Yorkton Workshops DESCRIPTION:When community is HOME is a week-long exhibition and a programme of workshops\, performances\, networking\, supper clubs\, podcasts\, kite-flying and communal singing — curated by Counterpoints Arts\, supported by Pearson Lloyd design studio. Counterpoints brings their network of collaborators to Yorkton Workshops to respond to the theme of Our Home through an exploration of the intersection of displacement\, climate justice and wellbeing. \nWe feel privileged to be working in the beautiful gallery. The curated programme is full of opportunity to participate\, meet the artists\, witness talks and performances and eat delicious food… and gather at a time when creatively connecting with friends and strangers feels like an act of self-care and support for others. \nThe creative programme is a set of collaborations with artists\, collectives and organisations. Some are ‘old’ friends and partners\, and others are new to our ever growing network. \nWe are working with: \nClimate Outreach \nUnbound Philanthropy \nEtaf \nNour Alsholi \nAditi Jaganathan \nZafeerah Heesambee \nTasnim Mahdy \nJohn Hunnex \nIn The Mix \nCompass Collective and Sarah Jackson / Nottingham Trent University \nKim Chin \nZhvan Theatre Company \nBosla Arts \nKites in Solidarity \nBint Mbareh \nand others! \nWe will see you at Yorkton Workshops. The programme runs from 17th to 22nd June. Ticketing info for some of the activities will follow shortly. \nImage: Bosla Arts\, The Art Persists podcast\, Yorkton Workshops\, 2023 © Paul Gilbey \n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/when-community-is-home-london-refugee-week-at-yorkton-workshops/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,Multi-Art Form,Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-5.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240617T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240622T220000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240604T064305Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000430-1718647200-1719093600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Voice Notes by Compass Collective and nottingham trent university DESCRIPTION:Come and experience the ‘Voice Notes’ is an international art project exploring the role of the telephone in experiences of exile. Featuring recorded phone calls left by young refugees and asylum seekers from around the world\, the exhibition investigates displaced voices\, creative networks\, transnational communication\, and different modes of talking and listening across cultures.\n\n\n\n\nThe exhibition has been co-created with over fifty young people who have fled war\, violence\, conflict and persecution and yet who continue to offer stories of solidarity and hope. At the heart of the installation are multidirectional ultrasonic speakers that are positioned to create a network of intersecting telephone messages. As visitors move around the gallery\, they tap into stories of home and belonging\, landscape and loss\, and communication and connection. In turn\, visitors are invited to shape new ways of thinking about sanctuary by contributing their own voice notes as part of our evolving telephonic soundscape.\n\nVoice Notes has been co-created with over 50 young refugees and asylum seekers living the UK and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The exhibition is curated by poet Dr Sarah Jackson (Nottingham Trent University) in collaboration with acclaimed sound artist and founder of the Space21 international festival Hardi Kurda\, and refugee arts organisation Compass Collective.\n\nThe project is supported by international partners\, including New Art Exchange\, Counterpoints Arts\, Refugee Roots\, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature\, Slemani UNESCO Cities of Literature and STEP. It is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.\n\nDr Sarah Jackson is Associate Professor in Modern and Contemporary Writing. She teaches on the BA English\, BA Creative Writing\, MA Creative Writing and MRes English Literary Research programmes\, and supervises PhD students working in contemporary literature and creative writing. An award-winning poet and academic\, Sarah publishes widely on 20th and 21st century literature\, literary theory and creative-critical ecologies.\n\nPart of the exhibition curated by Counterpoints Arts\, with the support of Yorkton Workshops. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/voice-notes-by-compass-collective-and-nottingham-trent-university/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Audio,London Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240617T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240617T210000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240605T163636Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000433-1718650800-1718658000@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:BAFTA Short Film Screenings + Q&A DESCRIPTION:Join us at BAFTA for a special Refugee Week evening of short films followed by a panel + Q&A with the filmmakers. Delivered in collaboration with Counterpoints Arts\, this special event will be followed by an opportunity to network with refugee and asylum seeker creatives and filmmakers. \n\n\n\nThis year\, Counterpoints Arts and Other Cinemas – two organisations who work across intersections of racial justice and migration – have collaborated on a film programme taking place during Refugee Week: June 17th-23rd. \nThe programme\, curated by Other Cinemas\, consists of 3 feature films and 6 short films. \nThese films can be watched across the UK for free; either at home or used for a community screening! No need to get rights or licensing\, they have been arranged for the duration of Refugee Week. They will be available to be screened anywhere in the UK for free! \nIf you would like to gain access to these films to put on a screening or watch the films yourself- please go to www.refugeeweek.org.uk or go to the Refugee Week Instagram page\, to find a Google Form that you can fill out to gain access. \n\n\nLITTLE PYONGYANG by Roxy Rezvany \nWith exclusive access to one of the world’s largest community on North Korean defectors\, this is a tale of one North Korean’s struggle to leave behind the homeland. Joong-wha Choi\, a former soldier in the DPRK\, lives today with his wife and kids in a sleepy London suburb.  Despite enjoying the new found comforts of his British life\, and being emancipated from the pressures of the North Korean state\, his dilemma lies in a desire to return to the land that betrayed him\, but is undoubtedly his true home. \nMOTHERLAND by Ellen Evan \nMotherland speaks to the experiences of the Windrush generation and subsequent generations of Jamaicans navigating the landscape of the UK’s hostile environment. \nA SWING IN ATAYFIYAH by Bediah \nA Swing in Atayfiyah dwells in the memory of homes and friendships left behind in Iraq\, the irrecoverable sense of belonging\, and the dissonance of diaspora. \nI CARRY IT WITH ME EVERYWHERE by Arwa Aburawa and Turab Shah \nI Carry It With Me Everywhere draws a line across multiple temporalities and registers of immigrant life\, uniting three different stories of migration in Northwest London through a shared condition of fragmentation. \nHosted by Counterpoints Arts producer Laith Elzubaidi. \n  \nBOOKING LINK HERE. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/bafta-short-film-screenings-qa/ LOCATION:BAFTA\, 195 Piccadilly\, St. James's\, London\, W1J 9LN\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Film and Photography,London Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240618T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240618T140000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240605T134029Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000438-1718712000-1718719200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Hope as Discipline: Ritualising Collective Liberation DESCRIPTION:How do we hold onto hope in dark times? Join us as we gather with Dr Aditi Jaganathan to moor ourselves in possibilities of hope as we organise for collective liberation\n  \nAs babylon crumbles; its architectures of oppression fall\, in Gaza\, in Haiti\, in Sudan\, in the Congo\, in the heart of empire. In this brokenness\,  spirit speaks; spirit calls on us to reach into otherwise possibilities\, otherwise ways of being in the fold of our collective being. \nWe gather as an offering of refusal\, refusing the structures which refuse our complex personhood\, refusing the suppression of rhythms of liberation. Leaning into this spirit of refusal we figure out ways to relinquish control and lean into our shared vulnerability; to orbit around ways of being moored in possibilities of hope. It is in the matter of being together\, as ritual\, that our tethering to hope as possibility emerges.  \nThis event invites organisers\, cultural workers\, creatives as well as dreamers and schemers who are affected by the passing of the Rwanda Bill and are organising in the wake of ongoing violence\, whether that be in the UK or beyond. We hope that by gathering we can thread together our interconnected struggles and hold space to resource ourselves through ritual and by centering our collective liberation. \n  \nDr Aditi Jaganathan is a thinker and creator\, writer and dreamer. \nHaving worked at the intersections of law\, culture and politics in various capacities\, Aditi is motivated by a politics of refusal\, living in rupture as rapture; turning away from hegemonic worlds of oppression and tuning into something different\, beyond the world we live in and moving to the rhythms of an elsewhere. It is this compulsion which guides her pedagogy in the education work she does. Riffing off education for liberation\, she creates spaces of  (un)learning as a site of radical praxis\, using tools of music\, film and visual culture\, to unpack the ways in which ideologies of oppression and liberation travel through cultural production. She teaches her own course\, Rhythm\, Race\, Revolution as well as courses at different London-based academic institutions. \nWith a particular interest in creativity as decolonial praxis\, she situates the imagination as a radical site of refusal and resistance. Her research work examines the different ways in which Black and Brown cultural production has activated autonomous modes of meaning-making and self-determination in London\, through contesting racialised norms and (re)imagining racialised postcolonial subjectivities. And it is through an ethic of jazz that Aditi curates this work. \nReserve your free spot for this session here. \nImage Credits © Carmel King URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/hope-as-discipline-ritualising-collective-liberation/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,London Refugee Week,Mental Health ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-8.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240618T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240618T190000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240606T124359Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144535Z UID:10000440-1718730000-1718737200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Love letters to home by zafeerah heesambee DESCRIPTION:When Community is Home. What does this mean to you\, and where do you find your sense of home?\nJoin us for ‘Love Letters Home\,’ a lino printing workshop hosted by artist Zafeerah Heesambee in collaboration with Muslim Sisterhood\, in celebration of UK Refugee Week on Tuesday\, June 18th 2024. Connect with others as you learn the art of lino printing and create your own pieces inspired by this year’s theme. Your creations will be featured in a collective zine\, showcasing the talents of the Muslim Sisterhood network and the Yorkton Programme community\, as part of UK Refugee Week 2024. \nTickets for this workshop is free\, but capacity is limited so grab a space while you can! \nReserve your free spot for this session here. \nWe are fundraising for Palestine and Sudan\, and would appreciate £5 donations to support medical teams on the ground. Any donations from this workshop will go towards Medical Aid Palestine and Sudan Relief Fund. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/love-letters-to-home-by-zafeerah-heesambee/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,London Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-14.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240619T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240619T150000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240607T094350Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000442-1718798400-1718809200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Cyanotypes - archives and markings of home by Tasnim Mahdy DESCRIPTION:This workshop explores the Juliana Anicia Codex through cyanotype printing. Participants will reflect on personal connections to home and migration\, making visible the intangible marks of their histories.\nJoin us for a workshop where we will delve into the Juliana Anicia Codex\, an ancient manuscript featuring important Arabic and Persian botanical illustrations\, in collaboration with John Hunnex. We’ll start with a discussion on the cultural significance of the Codex\, focusing on how naming practices reflect identity and migration. What was left out of the archive. Participants will then get hands-on with cyanotype printing\, a photographic technique that uses sunlight to create distinct blue-toned prints. They will incorporate botanical elements and personal symbols to create prints that tell their own stories – mythology\, and connections to home. The workshop will highlight the idea of mark-making\, where the fleeting and invisible aspects of personal histories are made tangible. Participants will actively create artworks that reveal unseen narratives\, transforming intangible experiences into visible forms. This process not only encourages personal reflection but also fosters a shared space for community storytelling and cultural expression. \nThis workshop is part of an on-going research collaboration between Tasnim Mahdy\, John Hunnex and Hanouf Al-Alawi\, centred on The Codex Vindobonenis. \nThis is a free workshop. \nImage credit: Tasnim Mahdy. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/cyanotypes-archives-and-markings-of-home-by-tasnim-mahdy/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,London Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-8-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240619T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240619T213000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240604T075549Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000436-1718821800-1718832600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:In The Mix DESCRIPTION:‘Laughter is the brightest in the place where the food is’ – Irish proverb. Come and join us for an evening of Eritrean\, Sudanese and Yemeni food to celebrate London Refugee Week. \n“One day I will cook for you”. A phrase many Refugees and Asylum Seekers have said over the years\, as they live in limbo\, with no access to proper kitchen facilities. The IN THE MIX project was a direct response to this phrase and it was surprising how easy and quickly it came together. Working in collaboration with Granville Community Kitchen\, we set up a Supper and Social club for people who live in and around the South Kilburn Estate. We are now expanding our wings\, sharing our food\, and encouraging people to join us. \nA community based project devised by artist Matilda Velevitch where refugees cook their favourite dishes and invite local residents to come for a group dinner each week. \nTickets can be bought HERE! \n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/in-the-mix/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-6.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T140000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T163000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240530T120958Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000423-1718892000-1718901000@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Greengross Global Arts 4 Brain Health Change Makers REFUGEE Conversation DESCRIPTION:There are 110 million people around the world who have been forcibly displaced as a result of persecution\, conflict\, violence\, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order\, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Of these\, 6.1 million are asylum seekers (having applied for asylum awaiting decision as to whether they will be granted refugee status) and 36.4 million are living as refugees. Some 404\,000 refugees returned to their countries of origin during the first half of 2023 while 59\,500 were resettled. From the war in Ukraine to ongoing conflict in Syria\, the Middle East\, to climate shocks and economic turmoil in East Africa and Latin America—global instability is increasing. \nTo address the trauma of displacement\, torture\, prevent retraumatisation on entry into even a safe but strange new country\, a remarkable range of organisations offer care and rehabilitative support. Working in temporary hotel accommodation\, day centres\, detention camps\, and with trauma-informed training\, artists and arts therapists are encouraging refugees to connect\, express themselves through participatory arts so as to preserve their heritage and gradually rebuild their brain health and a new sense of belonging. \nWho for? \nIf you are involved with arts practice for refugees\, or if you teach\, study or work in the fields neuroscience\, psychology\, psychiatry involving arts to preserve brain health\, and social prescribing to enable people to access inspirational cultural and creative opportunities to preserve their brain health\, identity and confidence among their new communities. \nA G E N D A (Online: 14.00 – 16.30 BST) \nHOST: Veronica Franklin Gould\, President\, Arts 4 Dementia. \nCHAIR : Alexandra Coulter\, Director\, National Centre for Creative Health. \nChristopher Bailey\, Arts and Health Lead\, World Health Organisation. \nProfessor Cornelius Katona Medical and Research Director of the Helen Bamber Foundation. Royal College of Psychiatrists lead on Refugee and Asylum Mental Health. \nAlmir Koldzic\, Director and Co-Founder\, Counterpoints Arts ‘Creatively Minded and Refugees’ \nPANEL Chair: Professor Cornelius Katona \n\nDaniela Nofal\, Counterpoints Arts – Network\nBobby Lloyd\, Art Refuge\, Community Table\nSheila Hayman\, Freedom from Torture\, ‘Write to Life’\n\nPANEL Chair: Professor Rachel Tribe\, Professor of Applied Psychology at the University of East London \n\nSara Green\, Founder & Executive Director\, Art for Refugees in Transition\, New York.\nDr Hanan Khalil\, Associate Professor of Neurological Rehabilitation at Qatar University. Physical therapy for refugees in Qatar\nLis Murphy\, Creative Director and Ramsey Janini\, Creative Producer\, Music Action International\, Crisis Choirs led by refugee musicians for new arrivals at drop-in centres.\n\nPANEL Chair: Professor Rachel Tribe\, Professor of Applied Psychology at the University of East London \n\nJohanne Hudson-Lett\, Artistic Director\, Hear Me Out\n\n\nPhoebe Shaw\, Communities Programme Manager\, Untold Stories Project\, Artcore\, Derby.\n\n\nKunle Adewale\, Creative technology for refugees in Bosnia\, Ireland and Sheffield\n\nPROJEKT EUROPA Chair: Alexandra Coulter\, Director\, National Centre for Creative Health \n\nMaria Aberg\, Artistic Director\, Projekt Europa.\nProjekt Encounter: Dr Angeliki Varakis-Martin\, Lecturer in Drama and Theatre\, University of Kent\nProjekt Encounter: Dr Francisca Stangel and Tom Tegento\, drama for refugees workshop facilitators.\n\nRSVP your free place to attend here. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/greengross-global-arts-4-brain-health-change-makers-refugee-conversation/ LOCATION:London CATEGORIES:Learning,Mental Health ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-750485569-17518429571-1-original.20240423-162255.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T140000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T210000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240613T154644Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000444-1718892000-1718917200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Voice Notes Exhibition London Launch: Free Workshop & Live Performance DESCRIPTION:In partnership with Counterpoints Arts\, Voice Notes will be exhibited at Yorkton Workshops in Hoxton from 17 – 22 June. \nWorkshop: \nOn Thursday 20 June we will be hosting a free workshop for 2pm – 4pm to celebrate refugee voices from around the world! \nSign up to Voice Notes Creative Writing Workshop here. \nLaunch event \nLater in the evening\, we invite you to the London launch event of Voice notes with live performances on Thursday 20th June 7-9pm to celebrate refugee voices from around the world. \nWith a special welcome from project lead\, Sarah Jackson\, and live performances from Compass young people\, come and meet the team\, enjoy some refreshments and immersive yourself in the sound experience. Open to all 16+.  \nSign up to the launch event for free here. \nAbout Voice Notes \nVoice Notes is an international art project exploring the role of the telephone in experiences of exile. Featuring recorded phone calls left by young refugees and asylum seekers from around the world\, the exhibition investigates displaced voices\, creative networks\, transnational communication\, and different modes of talking and listening across cultures. \nThis exhibition has been co-created with young people who have fled war\, violence\, conflict and persecution and yet who continue to offer stories of solidarity and hope. At the heart of the installation are multidirectional ultrasonic speakers that are positioned to create a network of intersecting telephone messages. As visitors move around the gallery\, they tap into stories of home and belonging\, landscape and loss\, and communication and connection. In turn\, visitors are invited to shape new ways of thinking about sanctuary by contributing their own voice notes as part of our evolving telephonic soundscape. \nVoice Notes is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council. Led by Nottingham Trent University\, the project is produced in collaboration with Compass Collective\, Counterpoints Arts\, Hardi Kurda\, New Art Exchange\, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature\, Refugee Roots\, Slemani UNESCO City of Literature and STEP. \nReserve your free spot for this session here. \n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/voice-notes-exhibition-london-launch/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,London Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-15.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T210000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240604T093938Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000437-1718910000-1718917200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Our Home: Voices from Afghanistan by Magdalena Moursy in collaboration with Ariana Abawe DESCRIPTION:For Refugee Week 2024\, join Magdalena Moursy and Ariana Abawe at Libreria Bookshop for a special showcase of Voices from Afghanistan – an audio feature that shares different stories from Afghans around the world. \nIn response to Refugee Week’s theme this year ‘Our Home’\, we invite you to sit for a collective listening session that fosters a deeper connection to the Afghan experience with live performances of Afghan Rubab music and poetry. And experience some Afghan hospitality with tea and snacks provided by Ariana’s mother who runs Kulcha Kafe. \nListen to the personal stories of four women – a judge\, a yoga activist\, a fashion activist\, an artist – and a man who is a refugee rights campaigner\, as they reflect on their lives under the Taliban regime\, their experiences of displacement\, and their hopes and fears for the future of their homeland. \nAs we approach 3 years on since the Taliban re-occupied Afghanistan in August 2021\, it feels to many Afghans that the world has turned their backs and gone silent. This event offers an opportunity to gain a deeper and more personal understanding of the complex realities faced by Afghans throughout their lives and today. \nJoin us in support of the Afghan community who continue to show resilience and courage\, hoping and working for a better future for their home\, Afghanistan. Voices from Afghanistan was produced and edited by Magdalena Moursy\, in collaboration with British-Afghan journalist Ariana Abawe\, who supported as research and cultural consultant. This project has been funded by Arts Council England. \nFree event. \nImage credit: the artists. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/our-home-voices-from-afghanistan-by-magdalena-moursy-in-collaboration-with-ariana-abawe/ LOCATION:Libreria Bookshop\, 65 Hanbury Street\, London\, E1 5JL\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Audio,London Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-7.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240620T213000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240424T221515Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000410-1718910000-1718919000@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:The R.A.P. Party @The London Library: Refugee Week DESCRIPTION:For Refugee Week\, poet and playwright Inua Ellams brings his exhilarating live literature phenomenon\, the R.A.P Party\, back to The London Library for a nostalgic\, no-clutter\, no-fuss\, evening of music and words. We’re bringing you a line-up of poets from across a spectrum of refugee and migrant backgrounds to explore the theme of Refugee Week 2024: ‘Our Home’. And we’ll be playing tunes of their choice to to get you on your feet. Our line-up includes: Ammar Haj Ahmad\, Elmi Ali\, Natalie Linh Bolderston\, Inua Ellams\, Yanita Georgieva\, Sophie Herxheimer\, Adam Kammerling\, Amaal Said\, George Szirtes and more TBC. \nTen writers + a DJ = the best night out you’ll ever have in a library – or anywhere\, for that matter. \n‘A truly fluid literary event not just mingling poetry and music together seamlessly\, but also bringing different tribes of poets: ages\, races\, gender\, styles together. You will be moved in your heart and in your head.’— Roger Robinson \nAmmar Haj Ahmad is an award-winning Syrian-British actor\, dramaturg\, playwright\, poet\, facilitator and director who is currently the Associate Artistic Director at Good Chance. He trained at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus and his directing work includes the closing ceremony for Paris Peace Forum 2023\, The Jungle stage reading in DasDas\, Istanbul and LonDon Quixote and Longing\, both at The Space Theatre\, London.  \nElmi Ali is a writer and performer. He writes poetry\, short fiction and drama. His performances have been received in venues across the country including Westminster\, The Southbank Centre and Contact Manchester. His work has appeared in publications such as the Poetry Review and Scarf Magazine. \nNatalie Linh Bolderston is a Vietnamese-Chinese-British poet. In 2020\, she received an Eric Gregory Award and co-won the Rebecca Swift Women Poets’ Prize. Her poem ‘Middle Name with Diacritics’ was shortlisted for the 2021 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem. Her pamphlet\, The Protection of Ghosts\, was published by V. Press in 2019. She is now working on her first full-length collection. \nInua Ellams is a Nigerian-born\, UK-based poet\, playwright and performer who has written for the Royal Shakespeare Company\, the National Theatre and the BBC. His latest play was an adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters set in Nigeria\, staged at the National Theatre. The Actual\, his fifth poetry release and first full collection\, was published in 2020 by Penned in the Margins.  \nYanita Georgieva is a poet and journalist. She was born in Bulgaria\, raised in Lebanon\, and currently lives in England. She is a recipient of the Out-Spoken Prize for Page Poetry and a member of the Southbank New Poets Collective and the London Library Emerging Writers. Her debut pamphlet\, Small Undetectable Thefts\, is out now with Broken Sleep.  \nSophie Herxheimer is an artist and poet. Her work has been shown at Tate Modern\, the Thames festival\, the sea-front at Margate and Mrs Beeton’s grave. Her collection Velkom to Inklandt was Poetry Book of the Month in the Observer\, and a Sunday Times Book of the Year. Her book 60 Lovers to Make and Do\, was a TLS Book of the Year and her latest collection is INDEX\, a box of 78 collage poems\, published as a deck of prophetic cards.   \nAdam Kammerling is an award winning poet\, interdisciplinary artist and educator. His most recent works include Seder\, his debut poetry collection\, which was a finalist in the National Jewish Book Awards\, Shall We Take This Outside\, a three-person spoken-word/dance theatre piece that toured nationally\, and Inside!\, a piece of poetry/rave theatre commissioned by Centrepoint and the Saatchi Gallery. \nAmaal Said is a Danish-born Somali photographer and poet. Her photographs have been featured in Vogue\, The Guardian and The New Yorker. She won Wasafiri Magazine’s New Writing Prize for poetry in 2015. In 2018\, her photography was featured in the fourth volume of African Lens and was exhibited in Accra\, Ghana. She is a member of Octavia\, poetry collective for womxn of colour and a former Barbican Young Poet. \nGeorge Szirtes was born in Hungary\, came to England as a refugee and trained as an artist. His twelfth book of poems\, Reel (2004) won the TS Eliot Prize for which he has been twice shortlisted since. His latest is Fresh Out of the Sky (2021). His memoir The Photographer at Sixteen was awarded the James Tait Black Prize in 2020. He is a co-winner of the International Booker translator’s prize\, as well as of numerous others. \nProduced in collaboration with London Library. \nSupported using funding from Fondation Jan Michalski.  \nBooks by the artists will be available to purchase at the event and online through London Library’s partner bookshop Hatchards. \nNB This event will take place in person at The London Library. Please see the Event Access Guidelines before you arrive. Doors (and the bar) open at 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start.  \nLondon Library events are subject to Terms and Conditions. \nBook HERE. Standard ticket £10. For under 30s/underwaged £8. \nImage credit: London Library. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/the-r-a-p-party-the-london-library-refugee-week/ LOCATION:London Library\, 14 St James’s Square\, London SW1Y 4LG CATEGORIES:London Refugee Week ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240621 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240624 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240514T165347Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144533Z UID:10000417-1718928000-1719187199@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:No Direction Home on tour! DESCRIPTION:Our stand-up comedy collective are heading off around the country to bring their unique brand of humour to three different venues for Refugee Week. \n21 June – Merlin Theatre\, Frome \nFeaturing Selam Amare\, Pepa Duarte and Usman Khalid\, hosted by Roann Hassani McCloskey. \n22 June HOME\, Manchester \nFeaturing Selam Amare and Teddy with guest headliner Tadiwa Mahlunge\, hosted by Yasmeen Ghrawi \n23 June in Peterborough \nFatiha El-Ghorri\, Selam Amare and Teddy\, hosted by Yasmeen Ghrawi. \nProduced by Counterpoints Arts\, No Direction Home have performed more than 25 gigs across the country and currently have a monthly residency at Soho Theatre in London. \nNish Kumar says: “The No Direction Home comedians are a very exciting\, interesting and creative bunch of people to be around. And they are very funny\, the material is really good.” \n‘A memorable comedy night… Underlines how vital comedy is’ ★★★★ Standard URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/no-direction-home-on-tour/ LOCATION:London CATEGORIES:Comedy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CA_NoDirectionHome_NishKumar_20Jan19-70.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T130000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240531T114818Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000424-1718971200-1718974800@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Sounds Like Home Choir performance DESCRIPTION:Free event – no booking required. \nJoin the Migration Museum and the Sounds Like Home Choir for a special Refugee Week event\, featuring an international women’s choir sharing songs from the places we call home. \nEnjoy a free performance\, including songs in Yoruba\, Turkish\, Spanish\, Zulu and English. \nSounds Like Home is a community choir project for women living in Hackney. They consist of women of all backgrounds\, ages\, and abilities\, exploring the origins\, language\, and musical genres of the songs that have shaped who they are and where they’re from. Sounds Like Home is supported by Counterpoints. \nFull details here. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/sounds-like-home-choir-performance/ LOCATION:Migration Museum\, Lewisham Shopping Centre\, London\, SE13 7HB\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:London Refugee Week,Music ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-7.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T130000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T160000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240607T095856Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000443-1718974800-1718985600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Threading layers of Home by Kim Chin DESCRIPTION:Artist Kim Chin invites us into a reflective setting\, to inspire a clearer understanding and vision of what “community” means to us. We do this by ‘visiting’ layers of ancestral\, environmental and embodied home. \nWe will explore rituals\, sharing readings and exchange thoughts while the group embroiders and collages onto fabric. \nThe intention of the workshop is to initiate a restorative sense of grounding and belonging. Through collective making we will activate a space of multi-vocal wisdom and hope that can be threaded into our daily lives after the event. \nWe will also share grounding and aftercare resources. \nNOTE: We will be sharing reflections and our knowledge. Bring readings\, definitions and objects to share with the group\, on what “home” and community mean to you. \nMaterials and refreshments will be provided. \nFree workshop. Sing up HERE! \nImage credit: Kim Chin. \nAbout the Artist: \nKim Chin (she\, they) is an artist and community mobiliser. Through creative learning and social engagement practices\, Kim amplifies transnational and intersectional East and Southeast Asian narratives as part of\, and in relation to\, wider British narratives. \n\n\n\n\n\nKim co-founded ESEA unseen with Sue Man in 2023 – an art-making\, curating\, and cultural producing duo who leverage textiles\, hospitality\, dialogue\, and neurodiverse adaptations to transform unawareness & trauma into a site for connection and collective agency. \nProjects have been showcased in collaboration with various art\, cultural\, and community advocacy organisations in England and the Philippines. \n\nProject Credit x Paradise Row\, a hybrid event cohosted in England | Germany | Trinidad | Cayman Islands\, Fondation Gallery\, Philippines\, and in London; Migration Museum\, Coin Street Community Builders\, Camden Chinese Community Centre\, Kakilang Arts\, Greenpeace\, Southbank\, and the Museum of the Home. URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/threading-layers-of-home-by-kim-chin/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Community & Participation,London Refugee Week,Mental Health ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-10.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T183000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240606T112507Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000426-1718992800-1718994600@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Didi and Gogo are Waiting DESCRIPTION:To mark London Refugee Week\, join us at the Yorkton Workshops for Zhvan Theatre’s unique performance of ‘Didi and Gogo are Waiting’. The production  uses the idea of a pair of refugees starting to perform the famous Samuel Beckett’s  play ‘Waiting for Godot’\, but then allowing their own experiences to take over\, perhaps allowing them to discover who Godot really is! With one member of the cast suddenly sent to the Bibby Stockholm\, the rehearsal process has had its struggles\, but a combination of rehearsing by phone\, plus a couple of trips to Dorset\, they  have kept things moving  to present to you their riveting production. \nAbout Zhvan Theatre and the play: \nIn February 2022\, Chris Walters began teaching a weekly Drama class for asylum-seekers living at the Holiday Inn in Wembley\, as well as two neighbouring hotels.  From this\, a theatre company was formed\, called Zhvan Theatre Company (zhvan is a Kurdish word\, meaning beautiful.) Since then\, they have presented three productions: a low-key performance in the hotel of two folk tales;  ‘No Waiting’\, a play combining comic sketches about the experience of waiting\, alongside scenes which described the life of the asylum-seeker. This production was  presented at the Beck Theatre in Hayes\, as well as Kensal Rise library. They also performed ‘Journeys’\, a play about the different experiences of three different people seeking asylum in England\, based on their own experiences\, at the Migrant Connections festival in Streatham.  \nThe Drama classes at the Holiday Inn always depended upon who would turn up.  Sometimes\, there was a mere handful\, sometimes twenty or more.  Sometimes there would be people who were fluent in English\, sometimes there were people with none\, most often it was a mixture of the two. It was impossible to know in advance who would be there\, so it did require a certain nimbleness. \nGradually\, however\, a core group became regulars\, and at least it was possible to explore ideas for theatre.  By the time of ‘No Waiting’ in 2023\, Zhvn Theatre  had a solid core of about a dozen performers.  But the life of the asylum-seeker is random and chaotic\, and shortly after that various members left to be relocated\, to begin college courses\, to get on with their lives which was always the hope and aspiration. \nBut with numbers low\, Walters started to look at scenes from ‘Waiting For Godot’\, a play that seemed particularly relevant to the experience of the asylum-seeker: waiting from day to day\, each one much the same as the one before\, with no clear idea as to when it might end\, just a vague hope. \nA production of the whole play would never be viable. Apart from anything else\, the actors had English as a second language\, so the task had to be made manageable.  But they also started to see other possibilities\, to have the performers comment on the action\, to introduce aspects of physical theatre. Then they can possibly unlock the mystery of who Godot actually was. \nThis event is also made possible with the support of Care4Calais where Chris Walters also volunteers. \nImage Credit: Zhvan Theatre URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/didi-and-gogo-are-waiting/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:London Refugee Week,Theatre ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-12.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240621T220000 DTSTAMP:20260430T041619 CREATED:20240604T063320Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240709T144534Z UID:10000429-1718996400-1719007200@counterpoints.org.uk SUMMARY:Bosla Arts' Open-Mic Night: Solidarity Sessions DESCRIPTION:Come and join Bosla Arts for an evening of music\, poetry\, and more based on the theme of solidarity to celebrate London Refugee Week. Open to all! They want to hear a song\, poem\, spoken word\, stand up comedy\, or anything else the audience feels like sharing. And if the audience just wants to listen that’s fine too! \nBosla Arts is an arts platform focused on sharing and supporting art-activists worldwide\, while drawing on their work to raise awareness to the public. They do this through an art residency\, events\, art magazine\, and art podcast – bringing together artists\, activists\, and social change makers from all over the world. \nBook your tickets HERE. \nImage credit: Paul Gilbey \n  URL:https://counterpoints.org.uk/event/bosla-arts-open-mic-night-solidarity-sessions/ LOCATION:Yorkton Workshops\, 1-3 Yorkton St\, London\, London\, E2 8NH\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Literature & Spoken Word,London Refugee Week,Music,Performance & Dance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://counterpoints.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/LRW-OVERLAY-WEBSITE-2-1.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR