Welcome to a day of workshops, activities, music, film, theatre and discussion to celebrate the launch of national Refugee Week in Birmingham. Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham will be offering a full day of free activities and performances both inside MAC and outside, with the opportunity to find out more about Birmingham’s refugee communities, dance to some amazing world music, try out free arts workshops and see a range of performances.

All times to be confirmed (check back here for updates).

Terrace (live music)

We’ll be offering a packed line-up of live world music on the outside terrace to take you from the Chilean Andes through Africa to the Balkans. Featuring:

Kausary: Kausary is one of Europe’s best-known Andean-Latin bands, based in the UK. With a repertoire of traditional Andean and contemporary Latin sounds they boast an exciting, expressive and talented line-up that enchants listeners with the sounds of Latin America. From Trujillo on the North Coast of Peru, the group plays styles typical of the Andean highlands, coastal lowlands, Amazon basin and forest and beyond. Energetically up-tempo, the full line-up of Kausary embraces the diversity of music from Cuban and Latin America. The world-class musicians powerfully combine the different styles of panpipes, salsa, rumba; cha-cha-cha, and jazz to produce exciting, lively music – all played with a depth of emotion unequalled. Whether it’s music ‘for the heart’ or ‘for the feet’ they will entertain and delight any audience. This is a band that knows how to put on a show!

The Redeemed: The word ‘band’ cannot come close to defining The Redeemed. In full force, this movement of youthful energy boasts 17 members, including singers, guitarist, dancers and drums. The majority of The Redeemed hail from the Democratic Republic of Congo and their music reflects their heritage and a broad range of influences, including rumba, Sebene, zouk, gospel and more.

Damba: Newly formed trio Damba involves 3 members of the Destroyers (15-piece Birmingham based big band), Louis Robinson (violin), Dave Adams (accordion) and Mark Davies (guitar and tuba). The band plays a variety of tunes borrowed from genres as diverse as klezmer, hot club, tango, country and western and Fraggle Rock!

Afro Mio: Singing in five languages, drawing on their heritage in Angola and Congo and their experiences travelling across the world, Afro Mio brings a burst of African smiles and sunshine to the Terrace. The beautiful vocals of Ben Pathy and Fidele Bisengo are borne on a wave of rhythmic conga and melodious African guitar.

The main acts will be bolstered by a range of community performances and a drumming workshop by Steve Yimga.

Hexagon Theatre (acoustic sessions)

Acoustic sessions in the Hexagon will feature:

Mostafa Abbasi Zadeh: A classically-trained tar player from Iran, as a Sufi, Mostafa was banned from playing and from studying at Tehran’s conservatoire. Since being in the UK he has received acclaim for his musical accomplishment.

“The strings are as quiet as snowflakes one minute, booming like a storm the next… [Mostafa's] dexterity is effortless, his artistry unassuming.” - The Guardian

Hassan Salih Nour: Sudanese singer and musician Hassan Salih Nour (oud, tamboura) was born in Eastern Sudan to parents from the north of the country. His upbringing included the local language and customs of both regions. At age three he was exposed to the tambour, the traditional instrument of northern Sudan, and began to play and sing local songs. As he grew up, he learned to play oud, bass and mandolin, and played traditional music on all of them. After becoming a fixture on the music scene of Port Sudan, he moved to Khartoum, where he studied in Khartoum Music Academy. For 12 years Salih lived and played in Holland, where he took first place in the Groote Brijs Van Nederland singer/songwriter competition, and has participated in the Mondial, Rasism Beed, and Melk Weg festivals. From Holland he moved to Cairo and is now settled in Birmingham. Salih performs both solo and in a number of collaborations, including Yorkshire-based Rafiki Jazz

Joelle Barker (Barker & Moon, Bright Size Gypsies) is a stunningly versatile percussionist who will defy anyone who believes that percussion should be kept to the back of the stage. Joelle will be accompanying both Mostafa and Salih to produce some original and captivating collaborations.

Foyle Studio

Theatre in the Foyle is from two exciting performance groups:

Writers Without Borders is a Birmingham-based collective of writers from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Some have lived in England for many years and others have arrived in the country quite recently. The group includes professional, semi-professional, new and emerging writers. Writers Without Borders will deliver a diverse range of performances including: poems from 10 poets on the theme of exile/sanctuary; a short story about an Arab refugee girls’ experiences of human rights in the uk; a song about children’s rights; and a monologue: For Refugees the EU is not Robin Hood. In this performance we see how, by forcing Free Trade on Africa, the EU is robbing the poor to feed the rich – and creating refugees.

Silent Shout Theatre Silent Shout Theatre is a new and interesting theatre company that produces unique and powerful work surrounding the South East Asian diaspora. Their debut piece A Dream From a Bombshell, inspired by first hand accounts of the Vietnam war and the generation that followed, is currently being developed in London and will be showing in the near future. Today at the festival they will be sharing with us a new initiative inspired by the Vietnamese culture. Devised and written by Anna Nguyen and Thanh Le Dang.

Foyer, Terrace Gallery and The Hub

Browse our information and activity marketplace: displays, arts activities, children’s entertainment, awareness-raising activities, and information. Featuring:

BIRCH: Birmingham Community Hosting Network – how many flags of the world do you know?

Secret City Arts: Trees workshop – Creative writing about sanctuary, shelter and safety. Making and decorating paper pots, into which participants can plant a seedling to take home (drop-in).

St. Chad’s Sanctuary: From Host to Home – Creative writing, audio and photographs resulting from a 6-week project building bridges between the host community and refugees and asylum seekers.

Red Cross: Tbc

Nellie de Jongh and Jane Thakoordin: A memorial to those who have lost their lives in the UK asylum system from the people of Birmingham – find out about ‘Driven to Destruction’ and contribute to a memorial through an arts and crafts workshop (drop-in)

ASIRT: Tbc

Restore: Tbc

Refugee Action: Awareness quiz and Clothes of the World quiz

Mohammed Fahim: Afghan kite-making workshop (drop-in)

Cinema

We will be showing an evening performance of the film Welcome (15). This will be ticketed at £7 (£5)

Bilal is a 17 year old Kurdish boy from Iraq. Travelling across Europe, he is heading for the UK to be reunited with the love of his life. Having reached Calais, Bilal is faced with the seemingly uncrossable barrier of La Manche, the English Channel. He is desperate to cross, full of determination, but unable to swim…

A drama about undocumented migrants, overcoming challenges and friendship that uses a documentary style to powerful effect.

French with English subtitles.

There will be a discussion after the film led by ASIRT.