Hundreds gather as Lancaster celebrates Refugee Week

Some of the refugees put on a show as part of the celebrations.

Gisela Renolds, Global Link’s manager, said: “Refugee Week is a time to celebrate the contributions refugees over hundreds of years have made to UK society and economy, from the designer of the Mini and Marks & Spencer’s to some of the comedians on our TVs today.”

With funding from the Local Integration Fund and the Dukes Theatre, Global Link organised a day involving food, storytelling, comedy, digital stories, music, drumming and dance. Asylum seeker and refugee volunteer cooks provided food from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Kurdistan, Nigeria and Syria. Emmanuel Bhajiji, a storyteller from Rwanda, described his first experiences of snow, and More Music led a drumming workshop much enjoyed by the children.

The Sewing Circle produced a banner for the event, and local refugees and asylum seekers performed with a music teacher who has been teaching them violin.

Refugee Bashar with the Refugee Week banner.

The highlight of the day was a comedy conceived and performed by Ali Mujally, with actors fromseven different countries, most with no experience of performance.

Ali, from Yemen, was discovered at last year’s Refugee Week to have natural comedic performance talent, despite no history of theatre, and was commissioned by the Dukes Theatre to produce the show Dance With Me.

Bayan, an asylum seeker from Kurdish Iraq, said of the event, “It was a fantastic event, an opportunity for asylum seekers to share our culture, and celebrate with the local community.”

Elizabeth Roberts from City of Sanctuary said: “It was great to see refugees who came to Lancaster as asylum seekers, now visiting from Preston, where they are working, including for the NHS.”