Guest blog by Counterpoints Arts

This Refugee Week, Counterpoints Arts has been working with artists, organisations and partners across London to deliver an amazingly diverse, dynamic and delicious programme.

We continue to work with our long-standing partners, there are shoots of new collaborations and partnerships and as always we’re supporting artists already in our network as well as introducing new artists we’ve not worked with before. Some of the themes we’ve been working with are climate justice, Palestine, wellbeing, archives, gender, mentoring and popular culture. There are events that are all about participation, others are for families, a lovely film programme and as always we are reflecting on the Refugee Week theme, this year that is ‘Our Home’.

We will be sharing our final programme and all the detail about the individual projects and activities, some are ticketed and have limited capacity. Please keep an eye on our updates and socials.

Here is an overview of the programme, there are individual event pages with more information:

13th June – Our Heartbeats at The Jago – our new pilot mentoring programme for young people with sanctuary-seeking backgrounds who will be learning DJing skills, who want to perform in front of live audiences, develop opportunities to collaborate and earn. This project is a brainchild of Kensaye Russel and Dijana Rakovic, and will be supported by DJ Mahnoor, Compass Collective, The Roundhouse, Southbank Centre and a host of guest DJs and mentors. The event at The Jago is a club night (tickets start at £5), and these will be an integral part of the project. Also performing are DJs NOUR and KMT Freedom Teacher.

17th to 22nd June – When Community is Home at Yorkton Workshops – a week-long programme of networking, workshops, conversations and podcasts, theatre and music performances, supper club, exhibition… kite flying for Gaza, afterschool club, board games… This programme is supported by Pearson Lloyd design studio who own and manage the beautiful Yorkton Workshops gallery.

17th to 23rd June – film programme at British Film Institute – a brilliant programme screening Talking with Rivers + intro and Q&A with directors Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Hana Makhmalbaf, hosted by Victor Fraga of Dirty Movies; Io Capitano + intro and discussion; Àma Gloria, Green Border and Bye Bye Tiberias.

20th June – R.A.P. Party at London Library – Poet and playwright Inua Ellams brings his exhilarating live literature phenomenon, the R.A.P Party, back to The London Library for a nostalgic, no-clutter, no-fuss, evening of music and words.

20th June – ‘Our Home Voices of Afghanistan’ at Libreria Bookshop – Magdalena Morsy and Ariana Abawe present a special showcase of Voices from Afghanistan – an audio feature that shares different stories from Afghans from around the world.

21st June – ‘Sounds Like Home’ – Join the Migration Museum and the Sounds Like Home Choir for a special Refugee Week event, featuring an international women’s choir sharing songs from the places we call home.

21st June – We Dare to Dream Screening and Q&A at Museum of the Home – screening of the documentary film about five refugee athletes, followed by a discussion with Waad Alkateab and Ahmad Al-Rashid.

22nd June – Refugee Week Walk on the Line – A guided walk from Three Mills to Cody Dock as part of Refugee Week, produced by the brilliant The Line team.

22nd June – soon to be announced collaboration with V&A – A beautiful performance by artists Amanda Camenisch and Therese Westin, and their group of co-creators.

23rd June – ‘Journeys from Home’ at The British Library – A family workshops with Art Refuge artists Aida Silvestri and Bobby Lloyd, who will be working with their The Community Table project and maps from the Library’s collection and the families’ own experiences of travelling, routes and journeys.

28th June – ‘Room for Dinner’ at Palestine House – an exciting new collaboration with 3EIB, soon to be opened Palestine House and London Festival of Architecture. An expanded supper club, collaborative embroidery project, fashion and book pop-up reimagines the dinner party as a convivial space for the intermingling of culture and heritage. Crucially, this event will be fundraising funds for a Palestine House – backed safe water project on the ground in Gaza. Tickets soon to be released!

29th and 30th June – 3EIB presents: ‘Room for Us’ at Palestine House – a weekend of storytelling, workshops and spotlighting of Palestinian fashion brands.. and food by Hiba.

30th June – We’re back at Southbank Centre with the Home: Short Films Screening and Q&A with Sarah Agha and From the Lips to the Moon – a music, poetry and visuals led by electronic musician Pouya Ehsaei and writer-performer Tara Fatehi.

For even more events marking Refugee Week in London, by a host of amazing individuals and organisations, head over to Refugee Week website and search for what is happening in your area. Here are the ways of taking part in Refugee Week.

Image: ‘Table Runner’ by Nol Collective, commissioned by Counterpoints, 3EIB and Palestine House for Room for Dinner