Refugee Week Malta (RWM) is the local edition of the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the creativity, contributions, and resilience of people seeking sanctuary. This festival, which is part of a global movement that began in the UK in 1998 to coincide with World Refugee Day on June 20th, was launched in Malta in 2022. RWM aims to foster understanding beyond labels and build connections across various communities.  

A Movement of Welcome: Refugee Week Malta offers a vibrant array of arts and cultural activities, striving to reclaim the term ‘refugee’ and affirm everyone’s right to safety, refuge, and culture. Through its diverse programming, the festival highlights the rich cultural contributions of refugees and encourages dialogue and understanding among different communities. By fostering inclusion and integration, this local initiative creates spaces where people from all walks of life can celebrate their diversity and share in a collective community experience.  This celebration serves as a reminder that every individual, regardless of their background, has a rightful place in society. It reinforces the idea that our shared humanity is the foundation of a strong, vibrant community.

Theme: Our Home: The theme for Refugee Week 2024 is “Our Home.” and everyone is invited to celebrate what “Our Home” means to them. For Malta, a place where diverse backgrounds come together, this theme is especially fitting. The programme for the festival explored what brings people together, connects them in their differences, and the kind of home they want to build socially and communally. Through diverse events, the festival highlights home’s significance in caring for the environment, standing in allyship with minority groups, and sharing experiences through food, culture, and art. This theme underscores home as a global concept, recognizing our interconnectedness, fostering collective responsibility, and inspiring collaborative problem-solving and hope for the future.

Collaborations and Growth: Now in its third year, Refugee Week Malta has grown into a diverse festival developed in collaboration with various artists, organisations, and public entities. Participating organisations include: Spark 15, the Sudanese, Eritrean and Libyan Communities, Afro Deli and Coffee, Malta Refugee Council, JRS Malta, MGRM, Moviment Graffitti, Friends of the Earth, El Hiblu 3 Coalition, Osanna Pia Home – Salesian, Aditus, Moas, Centru Tbexbix, Blue Door Education, Hal Far Outreach, the Foundation for the Ukrainian Community in Malta, Generation Change, the Gabriel Caruana Foundation, Unfinished Arts Space, Qawra Community Space of FSWS and the Community Police. Through these partnerships, Refugee Week Malta continues to thrive, offering a platform for celebrating diversity, promoting understanding, and building a stronger, more inclusive community.