Palestinian Dancers Launch Refugee Week

 Tuesday June 18 2013

Pictures by Stuart Wallace

A group of young dancers from a Palestinian refugee camp met with refugees now living in Scotland to celebrate the launch of Refugee Week Scotland yesterday (Monday).

The Lajee Dance group, who live in the overcrowded and insecure Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, performed a traditional Palestinian dance while refugees and local Scots taking part in Here We Stay, a music and spoken word performance piece co-produced by Scottish Refugee Council and the Citizen’s Theatre, performed their title track.
 
Refugee Week Scotland is an arts and cultural festival, featuring more than 100 events across the country, celebrating refugees’ contribution to Scottish culture.
 
Suzi Simpson, Arts and Cultural Development Officer for the Scottish Refugee Council, which co-ordinates Refugee Week Scotland, said: “It is a real privilege to be part of this unique and exciting festival. This event underlines so much of what makes it special - not only the talent on show, but the powerful and moving stories of so many people involved in Refugee Week Scotland.
 
“We have performers from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, Palestine, the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and right here in Glasgow and most places in between. And though they all bring their own diverse heritage, there is so much common ground.”
 
Full details at the Scottish Refugee Council website.

The Scottish Storytelling Centre, based at John Knox House on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, is hosting three events:

• Café Voices on Wednesday June 19 at 7pm in the Storytelling Court at the Centre (tickets £5 and for ages 14+).
• Refugee Spirit on Friday June 21 at 7pm in the Netherbow Theatre (free but ticketed)
• Making It Home and Immigration in Song and Story on Saturday June 22 from 10.30am at the training venue workshop (free but ticketed)

Visit the Storytelling Centre website for more details and to book.

Post Tags: refugees, refugee week

Related Stories

Church Leaders Urge Changes to Borders Bill

Read More   >

Edinburgh Churches' Refugees Exhibition

Read More   >

Churches Urged to Mark Refugee Sunday

Read More   >

Comments

There are currently no comments on this post

Add a reply

All fields are required. Email address will not be published.