Refugee Festival Scotland announces 25th year lineup
More than 150 free events will take place across Scotland from June 13 to 22, featuring artists and performers from more than 30 countries.
This year's theme, Milestones, celebrates decades of cultural enrichment, renewal and welcome, made possible by providing sanctuary in Scotland. It pays tribute to the effort, creativity and coming together of so many to sustain this.
The festival also seeks to raise awareness of the global refugee crisis, with numbers of forcibly displaced individuals continuing to rise due to conflicts in regions such as Ukraine, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Among the events at the festival will be the premiere of Within the Fragments of Gurbet a specially commissioned film that maps Glasgow through the experience of five New Scots, including filmmaker Bircan Birol herself.
Aberdeen will host Living Rhythms: Stories and Beats of Resilience, a vibrant celebration of refugee experience through storytelling, drumming and dance.
In Dundee, a Ukrainian theatre group is staging a musical interpretation of Robinson Crusoe, exploring parallels between Crusoe's journey and the experience of forced displacement.
There are a number of landmark collaborations between artists taking place across the festival, epitomised by the specially designed festival artwork by Yemeni artist Shatha Altowai and Palestinian artist Jude Ershead.
Shapes, carefully stacked and balanced, represent the resilience and strength of refugees. As the layers build upon one another, they create a solid foundation – just as refugees, despite their diverse origins, come together to form strong, united communities. The patterns are inspired by traditional clothing, architecture, and crafts from Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine, and Iran.
Refugee Festival Scotland manager, Mónica Laiseca said: 'Milestones offer us a moment to reflect on the incredible journeys people have taken to find safety here in Scotland. This festival is a tribute to their courage and a celebration of the warm welcome and support they have received from local communities over the past 25 years. We mark years of championing New Scot creativity as a vital part of Scottish culture and recognising the invaluable heritage that has been carefully assembled over the last quarter of a decade which deserves to be meaningfully supported, lived and carried forward. The festival aims to bring people from different backgrounds together to meet, mix and get to know each other better and we hope this year's event inspires even more connection, creativity, and solidarity among people.'
Scottish Refugee Council chief executive, Sabir Zazai said: 'Bringing people from different cultures together to build friendship, solidarity and a sense of shared community is more important than ever. Last summer, racist riots swept across parts of the UK, creating fear in refugee and migrant communities. None of us ever want to see anything like that again. By uniting against these acts of violence and hostility, we're showing that a better way is possible.
'We believe Refugee Festival Scotland is an antidote to the negativity and hostility that's started to characterise conversations about migration and about people seeking safety here. Join us in June to see hope and positivity in action as we celebrate the diversity of all Scotland's communities.'
Refugee Festival ambassador Shahid Khan said: 'Refugee Festival Scotland is a celebration – not just of culture and diversity, but of possibility. It's a moment to stop and reflect on the journeys being made all around us. This year, let us honour every milestone reached – and work together to remove the barriers that still remain.
'Integration is not just about what newcomers do to adapt, it's also about what kind of society they're adapting to. The more we foster kindness, opportunity, and mentorship, the more milestones we'll see for all of us.'
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