Refugee Week is coming to some of the UK’s most prestigious cultural venues for an unmissable programme of events by Counterpoints Arts, the festival’s national coordinators.

From virtual reality to interactive installations; Iranian hip-hop to the London Syrian ensemble, Counterpoints Arts presents a range of world-class performances and happenings, celebrating the Refugee Week 2017 theme of Our Shared Future. Many events are free and there is something for all ages.

Below are selected highlights – visit the Counterpoints Arts website for the full programme.

Southbank Centre

18 June: ‘Our Shared Future’, an afternoon of global beats curated by M.I.A as part of the Meltdown Festival, featuring Liverpool-based Iranian rapper Farhood, ‘first lady of Arabic hip hop’, Palestinian-British rapper Shadia Mansour and DAM Palestinian hip hop group.

24 June: Bring the family for a day of creative activities and performances including the launch of the London Syrian Ensemble, the Big Sing and participatory, agit-prop installations by Counterpoints Arts-commissioned artists Gil Mualem-Doron and Alketa Xhafa-Mripa.

18-25 June: The above events are part of a whole week of music, visual art and installations and workshops at Southbank Centre, including ‘Borderline’ comedy about Calais, ‘Here Her Singing’ by Charwei Tsai, printmaking with young refugees and much more.

British Film Institute

15-23 June: Four unique screening events, including provocative international documentaries, an immersive virtual reality programme and (tbc) Vanessa Redgrave introducing Oscar-winning period drama ‘Julia’.

British Museum

25 June: Watch, listen and create at ‘Different Pasts, Shared Future’, a day of film, workshops  and music, including from Aar Manta, the ‘voice of the young Somali generation’. Artist Richard DeDomenici will be asking you to ‘Shed Your Fears’, while Bern O’Donoghue presents her beautiful installation ‘Dead Reckoning’.

Counterpoints Arts engages with refugee and migrant experiences through arts and cultural programmes. Find out more at www.counterpoints.org.uk