Keele Refugee Week 2014
Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival of arts, cultural and educational events to celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK and to encourage greater understanding of refugee experiences. The importance and benefits of sanctuary to both ‘host’ communities and refugees is persistently questioned by hostile media coverage.
Keele University values and promotes a culture of welcome, and this year, for the first time, Keele joins Refugee Week and its profusion of activities taking place across the country from 16th till 22nd June. Keele campus will host a week-long photographic exhibition, which aims to capture the different stages of displaced lives in search of sanctuary. From routes to home, the images will chart the difficult and challenging – often unsuccessful – journeys to safety. The pictures represent original work collected by sociologist Dr Ala Sirriyeh (Keele) and anthropologist Sebastien Bachelet (Edinburgh) during their field research in the UK and Morocco, respectively.
Refugee Week at Keele will open officially on 16th June with a wine reception held in the Claus Moser building at 5.30 pm. The launch aims to gather together senior representatives of the university, academic staff, students, as well as members of the community to celebrate the history, the present and the future of refugees in the UK. This opening event will also feature a 15 minutes music performance by Dr Kelcey Swain (Bristol); for this occasion Kelcey has composed an electroacoustic piece which aims to conjure up ideas of displacement , uprooting, dislocation, yearning to belong. Music and images brought to Keele University for Refugee Week will engage the audience in contemporary refugee matters and will also offer alternative portrayals of migrants – not just victims, but actively involved in shaping their future. Come along, spread the word and join us for Refugee Week at Keele!
Organizing Committee: Rachel Bright, Siobhan Holohan, Mariangela Palladino, Ala Sirriyeh.
Contacts: m.palladino@keele.ac.uk; a.sirriyeh@keele.ac.uk.
Keele Refugee Week 2014 Events:
9th June
6.00 pm OPEN MIC MUSIC & POETRY, Keele Postgraduate Association (KPA), Keele University.
Keele University Creative Writing Students and the KPA will host
OPEN MIC POETRY & MUSIC on seeking sanctuary and human displacement.
WHERE: KPA – Keele University Campus
Contact Patrick Atack: v6p67@students.keele.ac.uk
(https://www.facebook.com/Keelepostgrads)
14th- 22nd June
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION, Keele University Chapel
16th June
5.30 pm EXHIBITION LAUNCH AND WINE RECEPTION, Claus Moser Building, Keele University
6.30 pm MUSIC PERFORMANCE, by Kelcey Swain - Keele University Chapel
Can't attend Keele Refugee Week? Don't worry! Just keep an eye on our Twitter & Facebook pages to keep up with everything going on!
Twitter: @Keeleuniversity #Refugeeweek
Facebook: Keele University
Check out also Refugee Week UK: http://www.refugeeweek.org.uk/