‘Festival 31’ – Showcase of Refugee Arts, Culture & Dialogue Launches In Liverpool
Liverpool’s annual festival of refugee arts, culture and dialogue, promoting discussion around the refugee experience – launches this week ahead of 31 days of inspiring community and public activity
Festival 31 will run until 20th July, with the start of the festival coinciding with the beginning of National Refugee Week. Lots of activity will take place across Liverpool, run by volunteers and groups interested in sharing, learning or understanding more about refugee cultures and what it means to be a refugee in 2016.
Now in its 3rd year in Liverpool, the festival will include a conference by the University of Liverpool, a photographic exhibition by Edge Hill University, a multicultural architecture walk, art drop-ins, TweetPoetry, window displays at News From Nowhere, and a whole host of celebration events with partners including Pod Collective, British Red Cross, Zest UK, Liverpool Asylum & Refugee Association, HeartBeat Drum Collective and many more.
With discussion around migration, asylum and refugees taking a prominent place in the media and across the country right now, FESTIVAL 31 will provide an opportunity for people to find out more about who refugees are. Through sharing food, exhibitions, film screenings, installations, school workshops, recipes, discussion forums, music, stand-up and more, communities across Merseyside will forge new links and raise awareness.
The festival organisers at SOLA ARTS are once again delighted to have the support of BBC Radio Merseyside’s UpFront presenter, Ngunan Adamu and continue to work with festival partner Africa Oye following a presence on site at the annual celebration of African music and culture this year.
Included in this year’s festival is the City of Sanctuary Fair which brings together local community organisations who help support asylum seekers and refugees to talk to the public about their work.
Information about the ever-growing events calendar can be found at www.festival31.com/events
If you’d like to get involved, write a tweet poem, share recipes, attend an event, volunteer, put on an event or take part in any other way, organisers are keen for you to get in touch. Visit the website for more info.
