Vibrant event for refugee week Birmingham

Vibrant event for refugee week Birmingham

Migrant Voice and the Polish Expats Association held a joint event for Refugee Week on June 24th at Centrala in Birmingham. The vibrant event, which was also held in the spirit of ‘the Great Get Together’, a national series of events to promote unity and shared values in memory of the late Jo Cox MP, brought communities together on the last day of Ramadan. It was an evening of solidarity as refugees and settled migrants shared space to discuss their connected histories, but also how to help one another. Participants came from many countries including the UK, the Ivory Coast, Pakistan, Albania, and across the Middle East. 

The event began with a screening of ‘Children of Men’, Alfonso Cuaron’s dystopian film about a future Britain with extreme, repressive anti-migrant laws, then followed with a conversation and reflection on the themes of the film. Afterwards participants joined together in iftar, the Muslim evening fast-breaking meal that is traditionally shared as a community. This particular iftar was open to people from all backgrounds as an opportunity to unite across all communities and cultures to show that Birmingham is stronger together.

Community members were appreciative of the evening with one guest stating, “I never knew this world existed”. Another participant, Jonida Hasa, said “There I settled into my chair, completely unprepared for what was to come. I was left emotionally engulfed, as the movie depicted parts of my own history, as a previous asylum seeker. The whole room was in tears and moved by what we’d seen in Children of Men, as it revealed the reality of today’s refugee crisis. A crisis in which people are leaving behind everything to flee from death and destruction. When the movie ended, Agnes, an inspirational woman – was brave enough to speak out about her own difficulties as a refugee. The whole room was choked up; we all knew what needs to happen. Love and humanity should not have borders and legislation preventing those from peace. We need to do more to help our fellow humans in these times of crisis. I was so honoured to be part of this event in support of refugee week #refugeeswelcome.”