Guest blog by Ambrose Musiyiwa (Forced Migration and The Arts)

Hey there, friends and theatre lovers!

We’ve got some exciting news to share and a big project we hope you’ll want to be part of. At Forced Migration and The Arts, in partnership with the amazing community media channel and indie publisher CivicLeicester, we’re kicking off an initiative to create a public database of UK plays that explore themes of migration, refugees, and asylum.

Why does this matter? Because theatre has always been a powerful way to tell stories that need to be heard—and right now, there are so many vital stories about migration and displacement that deserve the spotlight.

How You Can Get Involved

We’re calling on playwrights, theatre companies, actors, workshop leaders—anyone involved in this creative space—to help build this database. If you’ve written or know of plays (published or not) that touch on migration themes, we want to hear from you!

But that’s not all. We also want to:

  • Interview creative practitioners: Hear the behind-the-scenes stories of how these plays came to life.
  • Explore publishing opportunities: Help bring these important works to a wider audience.

Know someone who might have archives or unpublished gems to share? Spread the word and have them drop us a line at civicleicester@gmail.com.

Why This Project Matters

Let’s be real—the conversation around migration, asylum seekers, and refugees in the UK is often riddled with negativity and misinformation. We’re seeing:

  • Tragic drownings in the English Channel.
  • Refugees being treated as criminals instead of people seeking safety.
  • Multi-billion-pound systems built around systemic cruelty rather than compassion.

It’s heartbreaking. But here’s the thing—amid all of this, there’s hope. Community groups, advocacy organizations, schools, and yes, artists and theatre companies are standing up and telling the stories that matter.

We want to celebrate and amplify that work.

Let’s Create Something Meaningful Together

We believe that by building this database and supporting the publication of plays and interviews, we can contribute to a more compassionate and inclusive conversation around migration.

Who We Are

A bit about us:

  • Forced Migration and The Arts: We’re an international network bringing together people with lived experience of forced migration, refugee and non-refugee artists, academics, and art spaces. We host monthly discussion forums and encourage collaboration.
  • CivicLeicester: Since 2010, we’ve been using print, digital media, and events to spotlight important conversations. Our publications include anthologies like Japa Fire, Welcome to Britain, and Black Lives Matter: Poems for a New World.

Let’s Connect!

We’d love to hear from you—whether you want to share your work, collaborate on this initiative, or just have ideas to share. Drop us a line at civicleicester@gmail.com or connect with us on social media.

Together, we can make sure these stories continue to be told and celebrated.

Thanks for reading, and here’s to building something beautiful and impactful together!

Cheers,
Ambrose Musiyiwa
Coordinator, Forced Migration and The Arts

Image credit: Screenshot from “Driftwood“, a performance by Faceless Arts.
Journeys Festival International. Leicester, 21 August 2016.