Islands’ warm embrace for refugee festival
A Refugee Festival for the Outer Hebrides is taking place over the coming week, from Friday to next Saturday next week.
The events include a food festival, talks and testimonies, panel discussions, films and a participatory arts session.
The Hebridean Refugee Festival is the islands’ version of the celebrations and conversations taking place across the country.
It takes place in parallel with Refugee Festival Scotland which brings people from different backgrounds together to form new friendships and build greater understanding between communities.
Refugee Festival Scotland celebrates the positive contribution that refugees make to life in Scotland and the diverse music, dance, art, language, costumes, colours and flavours that make our community great.
The programme for the Hebridean Refugee Festival includes contributions from people who came to the Outer Hebrides seeking refugee protection and the communities that welcomed them.
The Hebridean Refugee Festival will take place across several venues. Everyone is welcome and all events are free of charge.
The programme includes an afternoon of talks in An Lanntair on Saturday 20 June, from 2.30pm to 4pm.
It promises to be an “engaging afternoon of stories and conversation, exploring cultures, journeys, and the experiences that shape our communities”.
The speakers will be Malcolm Macdonald, Anne Macaulay, Vlad Chystiakov and Olena Onufriieva. They will be talking about island immigration, the connections between Scotland, Moldova and Ukraine, Ukraine itself and how to live “with an open heart”.
Before that, though, events will begin with a public panel discussion and community dialogue in the learning room of Museum nan Eilean tomorrow (Friday, 12 June) from 5.45pm to 7pm.
There will also be a first-person storytelling session in UHI next Friday from 5pm to 6pm.
Cllr Kenny Macleod, Convener of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar said: “Economically, culturally, and socially – refugees have made a hugely positive impact on our islands.
"The Hebridean Refugee Festival is a great opportunity for us to come together and celebrate an incredible section of our community. I would like to thank all involved for organising the fantastic festival programme and I encourage all how are able to come and attend events throughout the week.”
In this session entitled ‘Home: Lost and Found’, Murtaza Barlas will be speaking about his journey from Afghanisation to Scotland.
The food and culture festival will be in Stornoway Town Hall next Saturday.
This Saturday, there will be a participatory sculpture making session in the drum room of An Lanntair from 2 to 4pm.
On Monday and Tuesday, there will be school visits.
Festival films will include several screenings of An Argyll and Bute Welcome in Stornoway library.
These will be on Wednesday 17 June from 10 to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm and again on Friday 19 June,10am to 12pm.