This year’s theme was Courage, and Swansea more than lived up to it! Across 15th – 21st June, organisations from across the city put on their own events: talks, exhibitions, music, food and film. Swansea City of Sanctuary was proud to bring it all together in one shared programme.
Here’s a look back at some of the highlights, in the words of the volunteers who were there.
Sanctuary Welcome Day
The Waterfront Museum’s opening event welcomed huge numbers of attendees, with live performances, poetry, food and conversation throughout the day.
We were also very proud to present the National Waterfront Museum with their award certificate, marking their recent renewed Sanctuary Award. The museum was the first Museum of Sanctuary in the UK, and it was a pleasure to celebrate that achievement continuing here in Swansea.
“It’s been an interesting Refugee Week, starting with an opening event at the Waterfront Museum, which was very well attended, with stalls, music, poetry and dancing. With the Marina Market on at the same time, it meant there was excellent footfall. We were able to meet and talk about our work with a lot of people, and were delighted that City of Sanctuary UK’s Chief Officer, Sian Summers-Rees, was in attendance.” — SCoS Volunteer
Y Storfa: Exhibitions and Activities
Y Storfa hosted a series of exhibitions throughout the week, including SCoS’ pop-up exhibition, an Art Exhibition from the SASS Community, and a display from Patients Not Passports. Visitors were invited to draw or write what Courage meant to them.
On Wednesday, there was also a screening of MIGRANTS, the story of two polar bears displaced from their home by climate change. Swansea Libraries put together a collection of books about the refugee experience, including a picture book illustrating Brian Bilston’s poem “Refugees.”
The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery also presented an exhibition featuring mosaics from its regular Mosaic Workshop, founded by the gallery alongside two gifted artists who were themselves asylum seekers in Swansea.
Quiz Night and Coffee Morning at Oxfam Books & Music
The Oxfam Shop’s Refugee Week Quiz Night had it all! Packed out shop full of quizzers, a tense three-way tiebreaker, happy winners, and a fun time had by all. The shop had a strong sense of support and solidarity in Swansea, and money raised for Oxfam’s work in Gaza.
The shop displayed writings by their volunteers all week, along with their “Refugees Welcome” book cover art created at The Waterfront Museum’s event from the Sunday.
“4 SCoS Volunteers made up a team for the Oxfam Bookshop of Sanctuary Film, Music & Books quiz, which was so well attended we almost ran out of chairs! We were not victorious – by a long way. The bookshop also held a coffee morning on the Saturday, to celebrate its status as a Bookshop of Sanctuary. Plenty of lovely home-baked cakes!” — SCoS Volunteer
Silk Painting Workshop
Artists from the Mission Gallery gave SASS a visit, to teach the community how to silk paint! It was a very relaxing afternoon where attendees were came together to learn a new skill and create their own silk piece to take home.
The good news is, it was a taster session! SASS are holding three more art sessions with the Mission Gallery in July. Get in touch with SASS to find out more: info@sass.wales
ACC’S Refugee Week Concert
Celebrating the power of community, inclusion, and hope, the African Community Centre hosted a vibrant evening of performances from all over the globe. The event was organised entirely by the youth group at ACC!
“The concert was an excellent evening with dance, song, and some important presentations from Prof. Uzo Iwobi (ACC founder) and Gustavo Moreno. There were performances from young people from China, Turkey, Latin America and Africa.” — SCoS Volunteer
Mini Festival at Swansea Market
Saturday’s Mini Festival in Swansea Market, organised by Swansea Council’s Refugee Resettlement Team and EYST, was great fun for all ages!
“The highlights were children’s art and cookery demonstrations by refugees from different countries — with the opportunity to taste their delicious food. There was live music: piano playing, a violin/guitar duo and a powerful singer, all from our refugee community. Eric Ngalle Charles also dropped in and entertained us with his own work. To add to the fun, there was an opportunity to join in the Salsa Class — full of colour and rhythm!” — SCoS Volunteer
A Note on Online Attention
Ahead of Refugee Week, a small number of our planned activities attracted negative attention online. We took this seriously, worked closely with the organisations involved to review arrangements, and made some adjustments to keep events and attendees safe. There was no actual threat to any event, and every single one went ahead as planned. What stood out far more than the noise online was the scale of support shown by the people of Swansea, who turned out in greater numbers than ever before.
Thank You
Every Week is Refugee Week, and the work of Swansea’s asylum and refugee sector continues year-round. Thank you to every organisation, volunteer and community member who made this year’s programme so vibrant, and to everyone who came along to show their support. This is what welcome looks like!