The theme of this years’ Refugee Week is you, me and those that have gone before...
Britain has welcomed refugees for centuries. In fact the word refugee comes directly from the French word ‘refugie’ which specifically referred to the Heugenot Protestants who fled France following the St Bartholomews Day massacre when thousands of Protestants were killed by Catholics. Since then, these islands have welcomed Irish as a result of the potato famine in the 1850’s, Basque children following the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil war, Jewish refugees in the 1930s and 1940s which included 10,000 children who were brought to this country by Sir Nicholas Winton with the Kindertransport following the Kristallnacht attack and ransacking of Jewish homes, hospitals and businesses by the Nazis. Following the uprising in the 1950’s, refugees fleeing the Soviet invasion came to this country from Hungary; Asians from Uganda in the 1970’s came here to escape the eviction by Idi Amin, Vietnamese boat people and refugees from Kosovo, and more recently refugees from Syria, Iraq and Iran following the wars in those parts of the world have also sought refuge in this country. They have all become a part of who we are as a nation. Refugee week is an opportunity to explore their lives and the lives of those who have welcomed them.
Sarah (which, for safeguarding reasons, is not her real name) fled from Eritrea in 2003 when she was nine years old with her uncle and her cousin. This was a year after the Eritrean Governments persecution of religions that were not state approved. She tells me that children, boys and girls, aged sixteen and above would attempt to leave the country to avoid compulsory conscription into the armed services. Girls often were married off when they were still at school to avoid military service. Sarah and her family managed to cross the border into Sudan without being shot at by border guards and they stayed in Sudan for 3 years with Sarah’s uncle working to get enough money to live on. He managed to get enough money to pay traffickers to take Sarah to Lebanon where she stayed for another 3 years, working for an Arab family where she carried out unpaid child care and cleaning duties. She was then moved through Syria to Turkey, again by traffickers paid for by her uncle. From Turkey she crossed the sea in a small inflatable boat to Greece, with 27 other people from a range of different countries, with the adults bailing out the boat during the crossing using their shoes. She was met by border guards and held in a camp for a week before being given papers to stay in Greece for a month and being moved to Athens. She stayed in Athens for six years, living in a hostel and working illegally whenever and where-ever she could before a local church paid for a plane flight to France in 2015 where she ended up in the Jungle at Calais. She was smuggled into the UK in the back of a trailer and claimed asylum in 2015. She was sent to Birmingham, and from there she was dispersed to Nottingham. She is now a client of housing charity, Nottingham Arimathea Trust. Sarah says she constantly thanks God she is still alive and says Nottingham Arimathea Trust saved her life. But she has no permanency. She is still an asylum seeker and like other asylum seekers has to report to the Home Office and could be moved to another part of the UK at a moments’ notice.
Nottingham Refugee Week aims to both highlight the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in Nottingham and also celebrates the contribution refugees and asylum seekers have made to Nottingham economically, culturally and socially over the years. As usual we have a wide range of events crammed into the week at venues across the city from talks to fashion shows, musical events, feasting and films. Most are free and are open to everyone.
Venues across the city are taking part and many are offering their services and space for free. The entire week of events are happening because of the hard work and commitment of volunteers and runs on a shoestring. So come along to one of our events and find out more about the lives of refugees and asylum seekers and witness how they are contributing to the vibrancy of Nottingham artistically and socially.
Film screenings include:
The Movement
Where: Broadway Cinema
When: Sunday 16 June - 1.00pm
How much? £4.50 - £9
Our first film, The Movement documents the efforts of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help migrants attempting to enter Europe. Following the efforts of a nurse, a pilot, a fire fighter and a footballer. Shedding a light on the global smuggling networks and asks difficult questions of the authorities and border agencies.
A post-screening Q&A will be held at Broadway Cinema with the film’s director Sharon Walia.
Barbara Harrell-Bond: a Life Not Ordinary
Where: Nottingham Playhouse
When: Tuesday 18 June – 5.30
How much? Free
This documentary explores the achievements and extraordinary life of academic Barbara Harrell-Bond, a refugee rights activist. The focus of Barbara’s life-long work has been on refugee rights, and on ensuring refugees at the heart of any intervention.
This will be followed by a post-screening discussion about the role of universities in protecting refugees and asylum seekers with representatives from both UoN and NTU.
Persepolis
Where: Nottingham Contemporary
When: Wednesday 19 June -6.30pm
How much? £5
Set in 1970s Iran, this 2007 Academy Award nominee for best animated film tells of a coming of age story during the Iranian Revolution. Refusing to conform or remain silent, Marji is sent to study in Vienna by her parents but how will she juggle this new foreign culture and what awaits her on the return to a loving family back in Iran?
Beats of the Antonov
Where: New Arts Exchange
When: Thursday 20 June – 6.30pm
How much? Free
Telling the story of the Sudanese populations of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountain regions, the film is structured around the daily bombings carried out by the Sudanese government aiming to blast these 'rebels’ out of existence. These tactics have only reinforced a determination to preserve a specifically African culture and led to the rich mix of music that has sprung up around the impromptu celebrations staged after surviving each bombing.
Human Flow
Where: Friends Meeting House
When: Friday 21 June - 6.15pm
How much? Free
More than 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes, the greatest displacement since World War II. Filmmaker Ai Weiwei examines the staggering scale and its profoundly personal human impact. Over the course of one year in 23 countries, Weiwei follows a chain of urgent human stories that stretch across the globe.
An American Tail
Where: Nottingham Central Library
When: Saturday 22 June - 10.30am
How much? Free
One for the kids in this 80’s animated classic, Feivel Mousekewitz and his family flee Russia, ruled by evil cats, for America where they have been told there are no cats and the streets are made of cheese. Feivel gets lost after a storm at sea on the journey but after a series of adventures he is eventually happily reunited with his family.
Island of the Hungry Ghosts
Where: Nottingham Playhouse
When: Friday 28 June – 6pm
How much? Free
A moving story from inside Australia’s answer to Guantánamo: Christmas Island. On this island, 50 million red land crabs make their annual migration from the jungle to the sea. The same jungle hides a high security Australian detention centre where thousands of asylum seekers have been locked away indefinitely. Their only connection to the outside world is trauma counsellor Poh Lin Lee.
A Post-screening discussion will be held with the Morton Hall Detainee Visitor Group.
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