Refugee Week 2021 – We Cannot Walk Alone

Refugee Week – World Music & Arts Festival
Live and Online Programme
14th – 20th June 2021

Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham are excited for the opportunity to start bringing people back together, live and in person through Refugee Week. We will be presenting our World Music & Arts Festival from 14th – 20th
June, including a live and online programme of events and creative content.

We are working with some amazing artists this year, with live performances from Didier Kisala (DRC), Germa Adan (Haiti), Nifeco Costa (Guinea Bissau), Kausary (Peru) and Bumi Thomas (Scotland / Nigeria). We have live “socially distanced” events at Centrala on 17th and Mac on 19th June, presented by TV, Film and Theatre actor Patrice Naiambana (Sierra Leone).

We have some exciting commissions to share with you by featured artists including: A live recorded performance by Kadialy Kouyate (Senegal), An original short film by Patrice Naiambana, A new painting by Eddy Aigbe (Nigeria), A workshop and performance by Rihab Azar (Syria), Spoken word and art by Ahmed Magare (Somalia), plus new music from Nifeco Costa, Germa Adan, Millicent Chapanda (Zimbabwe), Sirius B (Latvia), Didier Kisala. See the full programme below.

Monday 14th June

1pm – Refugee Week Online Launch Event
Featured Artist Commissions Showcase

Tuesday 15th June

1pm – Birmingham Opera Company & CSB Online Singing Workshop
Millicent Chapanda & Mariana Rosas

Online Featured Artists – commissions & profiles
Highlighting Commissions of new work by: Eddy Aigbe, Patrice Naiambana, Musicians and spoken word artists

Wednesday 16th June

1pm – Rihab Azar online presentation and workshop

8pm – Emerging Artists Showcase

Thursday 17th

1pm – Birmingham Opera Company & CSB Online Singing Workshop
Sherry Fatemi & Mariana Rosas

8.30pm Live Event – Centrala – Didier Kisala (Doors 7.30pm)

Friday 18th June

Online Featured Artists – commissions & profiles
Highlighting Commissions of new work by: Eddy Aigbe, Patrice Naiambana, Musicians and spoken word artists

6.30pm – Live Event – Erdington Evening of Creativity – Oikos Cafe (6.30-9pm)
Community Performances
Millicent Chapanda
Hassan Salih Nour
Limited Audience – Event will be livestreamed

Saturday 19th June

Live Event – In partnership with Mac
Refugee Week at Mac – Outdoor Arena 1- 6pm

Event 1 – 1-3pm (limited seating – admission between 12.30-1pm)
Patrice Naiambana
Community Performances
Germa Adan
Nifeco Costa & Babock Djazz

Event 2 – 4-6pm (limited seating – addmission between 3.30-4pm)
Patrice Naiambana
Community Performances
Kausary
Bumi Thomas

Sunday 20th June

3pm – Online Finale Event – Performance by Kadialy Kouyate
Featured Artists – Watch again

Monday 21st June

5-8pm – Live Event – “Voices From The Front Line” – Book Launch event
Cafe Sol @ The Warehouse Cafe
Partnership with Baobab Women’s group book launch
Performance from Millicent Chapanda
Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham (CSB)

CSB is a diverse music and arts organisation with a mission to support, develop and celebrate refugee and migrant artists, and to engage through community projects with refugees and asylum seekers. Formed in 2002, CSB delivers 3 strands of work: World Music Events & Refugee Week Festival; Artist Development with refugee and migrant artists; Community Engagement with refugees and asylum seekers. This event is a regular partnership with Mac in support of Refugee Week, to celebrate the contribution and resilience of refugees.

To find out more about CSB or Refugee Week please visit: https://www.celebrating-sanctuary.org.uk/