L’Atelier «Edition Originale»
Opening keynote by
Aubépine Dahan (Paris D'Exil)
Aline Lasry (Paris D'Exil)
Catherine Larré (Association 4A)
Marie-Laure Colrat (Association 4A)
Paris d’Exil was founded in 2016, in order to support exiled people arriving in Paris, providing them with information about their rights and how to meet their basic needs (housing, food, health, education etc…). The association has two main teams, one for adults and families, the other for unaccompanied minors.
Alina Lasry started volunteering with the association Paris d’Exil in 2019 and with La Casa Paris (an association aiming at housing and accompanying exiled minors in France) in 2020. In both these associations she mainly accompanies exiled minors and young adults by helping them with their administrative and legal procedures. In 2021, Alina started a Masters in Migration Studies at l’EHESS and Paris 1.
Catherine Larré is a visual artist and photographer (Master of the Royal College of Art, London). Art therapist graduated in "Therapies with artistic mediation Plastic arts" by the University René Descartes. She practiced in a day hospital with children with autism spectrum disorders, for 3 years and has co-animated workshops at the Sainte Anne Hospital Center in adult psychiatry. Co-founder of the 4A association, she supports exiled people with art therapy in partnership with Paris d’Exil. With her dual artistic training and artistic mediation therapy, she leads educational workshops for different audiences.
Image © Aboubacary Coulibaly
Marie-Laure Colrat is a visual artist, art therapist and co-founder of the 4A association. Graduated from René Descartes University Master II. Since 2012, she has been responsible for art therapy workshops in the Artistic Mediation Psychotherapy Unit of the CMME of the CHU Sainte-Anne. She has been giving art therapy classes for 10 years, supervises trainees, trains professionals in the implementation of visual arts devices in their practice. Speaker and artist, she leads workshops for various audiences. With the 4A association, she supports exiled people with art therapy in partnership with Paris d'Exil. Collaboration: "Art-therapy, Principles, methods and practical tools" by Anne-Marie Dubois, ed. Elsevier Masson. Participation: “Art therapy” RFI “Priorité Santé” by Claire Hédon.
Image © Aboubacary Coulibaly
Elevating Every Voice: Documenting Strengths-Based Approaches to Languages Education in Displacement and Resettlement
Presentation by
Rachel Burke (University of Newcastle, Australia)
This presentation focuses on the creativity, collaborations, and communities at the heart of strengths-based, plurilingual languages education within displacement and resettlement contexts. Drawing on findings from the first stage of a pilot study, the presentation will foreground participants’ stories of language exchange and strategies for mobilising diverse linguistic and literate repertoires to navigate displacement and resettlement. The presentation will include an overview of the pilot study, a brief policy context, and an interactive component in which the audience will be invited to share their own stories around the idea of ‘elevating every voice’ and consider how these narratives link with the RILA Spring School theme of interwoven identities.
Dr Rachel Burke is an applied linguist at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Rachel’s research and teaching focus on linguistically and culturally diverse contexts, with emphasis on strengths-based, praxis-driven, community-led approaches to languages education in displacement and resettlement contexts. Rachel is a steering committee member of Australia’s RESIG: Refugee Education Special Interest Group and convenes the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Education Special Interest Group of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE).
Finding buried treasure: a shared ritual
By Rachel Morley (clinical and community psychologist) and Lucy Cathcart-Frödén (community development practitioner, researcher and musician)
At last year’s Spring School, we co-created a ritual to honour and grieve losses. This year we’d like to work with the Spring School community to mark and celebrate what we have found.
On day 1, we’ll offer a brief introduction to the process, and share some creative prompts. You’ll be invited to reflect on what we have discovered or re-discovered over the last year that we treasure. What has surprised us? What values have become more significant to us this year and why? You can respond by sharing stories, poems, music, sounds and images, using Padlet.
On day 2, we’ll respond and connect to each other’s ‘treasure’ using outsider witness practices. You can do this either online or in the café area, where we’ll have a corner for creative conversations and ritual preparation throughout the day.
We’ll bring our responses together with a short ritual on day 3, marking what is precious to us and between us. This final session will be in person, involving sound, images, words and actions. For anyone not able to be there in person, there will also be the option of marking our shared ritual through a sound piece available online, which will weave together some of what has been shared over the 3 days.
Rachel Morley is a clinical and community psychologist working with survivors ofviolence and human rights abuses. She led the specialist trauma service for asylum seekers and refugees in Glasgow. She is committed to the links between psychological wellbeing and social justice and is interested in exploring how creative community ritual practices can help us mark loss, support change and create belonging.
Lucy Cathcart-Frödén is a community development practitioner, researcher and musician. Her doctoral research used collaborative songwriting with people who have been forcibly displaced or have experience of the criminal justice system, as a way to explore how shared creative practice can play a unique role in helping us build communities marked by connection and solidarity.
Safeguarding in Collaborative Research
Presentation and discussion by
Hyab Yohannes (CUSP Academic Coordinator, University of Glasgow (UofG))
Giovanna Fassetta (CUSP Co-Investigator, UofG)
Maria Grazia Imperiale (Lecturer in Adult Education, UofG)
This session will aim to discuss some basic safeguarding principles as well as the challenges of safeguarding in collaborative research, with a particular focus on the role of culture. It will also demonstrate different ways to adapt these principles to align with your own research context.
The session will consist of a presentation, interactive elements, and discussion. There will also be an opportunity to ask Giovanna, Grazia, and Hyab any safeguarding-related questions you may have.
This session is designed to give a taster of the “Safeguarding in Collaborative Research and International Development: Contexts, Challenges, and Opportunities” massive open online course (MOOC) that is available to all, free of charge, on FutureLearn.
Dr Hyab Yohannes is a Research Associate and Academic with a Ph.D. in the Realities of Eritrean Refugees in a Carceral Age from the University of Glasgow. Hyab has extensive experience in undertaking fieldwork, interviews, critical evaluation and interpretation, computer-based data analysis and evaluation. He possesses strong decolonial and critical thinking skills and brings unique experience and perspective to migration-related policy development and implementation. Hyab’s versatility to translate knowledge across various disciplines and epistemic traditions into research activity enables him to conduct research with a specialismin the subjects of "forced migration", "decoloniality" and international b/ordering. Please visit Hyab’s personal website for his personal story, academic journey, and critical reflections.
Dr Giovanna Fassetta is a Senior Lecturer in Social Inclusion at the University of Glasgow (School of Education). Giovanna comes from a teaching background (modernlanguages) and taught for over 20 years in several countries before moving to academia. She currently teaches in several Master’s degree programmes, with a focus on issues of inclusion in educational settings.
Giovanna’s current research focusses on the role of languages in fostering inclusion; teaching/learning in situations of protracted crisis; intercultural communication; critical and engaged pedagogies. Giovanna has experience in carrying out collaborative research with Global South partners and is aware of the challenges of ‘translating’ UK universities’ requirements in ways that are adapted to different contexts. She collaborated in the design and development of Safeguarding material for the CUSP Network Plus and the FutureLearn open online course “Safeguarding in Collaborative Research and International Development: Contexts, Challenges, and Opportunities”
Dr Maria Grazia Imperiale holds a PhD in Language Education (University of Glasgow), and her doctoral research looked at intercultural language education in the context of siege of the Gaza Strip (Palestine). She holds a MA (Hons) in Applied Linguistics and Intercultural Communication (University for Foreigners of Siena, Italy), and a BA (Hons) in Linguistic and Intercultural Mediation (University for Foreigners of Siena). She is CELTA certified (Pass A).
She is a qualified language teacher and teacher trainer, and she taught Italian and English as foreign languages to adults in Italy, Australia, Lebanon, Morocco, UK. She has several experiences of teaching and volunteering with refugees from the Middle East.
She has worked as a postdoctoral research associate on several research projects. She coordinated the Culture for Sustainable and Inclusive Peace Network+, researching conflict transformation through arts-based methods in Palestine, Mexico, Morocco, Zimbabwe, and Ghana.
A Tiny Campus on tour: experimenting with pop-up academic hospitalities across Europe
Short video + discussion led by
Christian Hanser (University of Edinburgh)
How can we nurture wider societal welcome from within university networks?
In this audio-visual presentation I will introduce an experimental format of pop-up conferencing proposed as a way to connect small local groups of early career researchers with locations that are rarely inhabited by scientific communities. Encounters are organised around the outdoor venue of a ‘tiny house’ campus on wheels wandering across borders in Europe as a deliberately vagabond educational setting dancing around the frictions of intellectual territorialisation (Lugosi, 2016). Discussions then take place by alternating sites on institutional grounds with open public spaces in order to invite into multisensory, experiential, publicly accessible forms of dialogue which allow to mix different publics. The aim of this introductory video is to share some of the values that have led to the creation of this small-scale format. Academic settings can be understood as a “plastic material already shaped into one thing and capable of being reshaped into another” (Shor and Freire, 1987, p.28). We will look at the plasticity of encounter spaces whose artistic potential can help transform institutional pressures into collaborative and civic acts of welcome beyond the academy.
What is the relevance of academic hospitality for the continuity of welcome?
Presenting this concrete format for alternative academic events is also an invitation to discuss the concept of academic hospitality (Phipps and Barnett, 2007) as an applied framework that can provide continuity. Hospitality in many European scientific career options is conditionally framed around short-termism. To what extent could an initiative emanating from the exclusive and at the same time highly precarious “bubble” of early career academia dwell in civic and non-academic spheres without occupying them with the growth-oriented expansionism and temporal pressures that characterise contemporary universities? Based on the first experiences that have led to the creation of the Tiny Campus between Strasbourg (France) and Freiburg (Germany) since 2020 (www.tinycampusontour.eu), it will be asked how a Tiny Campus tour between Scotland and Ireland (possibly in 2023) can bring together local participants alongside researchers, artists, activists to nurture cultures of pop-up hospitality beyond walls.
Image: Christian Hanser's tiny campus
Christian Hanser is a PhD student at Moray House, University of Edinburgh. Through an arts-based methodology he investigates vagabond educating, existential detours and indirect pedagogies as contributions to the de-optimisation of educational systems. His research experiments with 'no-agenda' resting spaces and facilitates itinerant processes for de-walling institutional spheres to move away from benchmarking and ableism (in and of academia) and instead create hospitality hubs.
Spray Peace: Art as a universal language
presentation/discussion/workshop by
Ewa Szwabowicz (Spray Peace)
Flore Fridén (Spray Peace)
Alessio di Pinto (Spray Peace)
Wednesday 11 May online:
The Spray Peace team would like to share their experience, outlook and methodology of working with habitants of refugee shelters in luxembourg through a presentation of different events and the stories behind them, followed by an inspiring, open discussion.
Friday 13 May in person:
With an opening discussion on the topic of shared values, the group will brainstorm how one could turn ideas and concepts into images. these images will function as a universal language. the group will then create stencils of these images to produce one shared artwork representing our shared values.
Image: A Spray Peace workshop
Flore Fridén, Spray Peace president and co-founder, has been organising projects for the last six years. alongside her volunteering activities, she studied at the Glasgow School of Art and now works in an art gallery in the heart of Vienna.
Ewa Szwabowicz, Spray Peace secretary and co-founder, has helped build up the organisation from its beginning in 2015. She has studied at the Glasgow School of Art and now works as an interior designer in Munich.
Alessio di Pinto, volunteer at Spray Peace, studied in Innsbruck and now works as an occupational therapist in Vienna. in his profession, he is exploring how creative activities can have a therapeutic impact.
The Value of the Arts in our Sanctuary Work
Presentation by
Ashley Beckett (City of Sanctuary)
Gün Orgun (City of Sanctuary)
City of Sanctuary UK is working to make the UK a welcoming place for people fleeing from conflict and persecution. We do this by working with individuals, businesses and institutions across the UK to encourage understanding and compassion. Our aim is that wherever people seeking sanctuary go, from schools to libraries, theatres to museums, they will find people who welcome them and understand why they are here.
One of our key focuses is on the role of arts in building this movement of welcome. We call this our Arts Stream of Sanctuary; this is all about celebrating the arts organisations that work with refugees, tell stories of migration and bring communities together – all whilst encouraging more organisations to do the same. We have an amazing network of art galleries, theatres, cinemas, museums, and studios all working together to create a culture of solidarity, understanding and compassion.
Gün Orgun is the Coordinator for Scotland and Northern Ireland for City of Sanctuary UK, and has been working in the refugee sector in Scotland since 2005. She was appointed in 2019 as the first Scotland-based staff member for City of Sanctuary, offering information and networking opportunities to local refugee support groups, as well as working with organisations - including universities - towards achieving a Sanctuary Award.
Ashley Beckett is the Coordinator for London for City of Sanctuary UK as well as the Arts Stream and Libraries Stream Lead. She has worked in the refugee sector in the UK, US, Kenya and Uganda for over ten years. She has experience in arts education and arts mentorship and brings these two expertise together in her work with City of Sanctuary.
GRAMNet Film Series Watch Party and discussion - Exodus
Hosted by GRAMNet and film director Taimoor Sobhan
11 May 6.30 - 7.45pm
The annual GRAMNet Film Series is a partnership with BEMIS and UNESCO RILA. Monthly screenings are inspired by global events and occasions with a touch of escapism and imagination. The Film Series seeks to expand our knowledge of the world, different cultures, languages, struggles, and voices through film and conversation.
There are two incredible films to enjoy for FREE as part of the 2022 Spring School online programme.
Image: scene from Exodus
Live Watch Party and Discussion: 'Exodus' (2021 - 25 mins)
“EXODUS,” directed by Taimoor Sobhan, features the three refugees as they visually document life inside refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The film explores how Omal Khair, Dil Kayas, and Azimul Hasson use photography and social media, providing a unique window into the everyday life of Rohingya refugees. For more information, please read this article on the Fortify Rights website.
We have chosen this film to illustrate the importance of freedom of expression, and how our identities and/or values can change in response to different or shifting relationships with people, places, and objects.
The screening will start at 6.30pm (UK time) and be followed by a Q&A with director Taimoor Sobhan - all taking place on Zoom.
We will use a jamboard to collect thoughts and feedback.
Watch in your own time - "9 Days in Raqqa" (2021 - 90 mins)
Leila Mustafa, 30, civil engineer and three times valedictorian, is the young mayor of Raqqa, the former self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic State in Syria. Her mission is to rebuild her city in ruins after the war as well as enable reconciliation and establish democracy. An extraordinary mission. A French writer crosses Iraq and Syria to meet her. In this still-dangerous city, she has 9 days to live with Leila and discover her story.
We have chosen this film to illustrate how our values shape, and are shaped by, history, our experiences and understanding.
"9 Days in Raqqa" will be available to rent (for free) via the GRAMNet Vimeo page for a limited period (48hrs) on the days leading up to the Watch party.
Content advisory: These films may contain themes and imagery that are not suitable for a younger audience including depictions of violence, warfare, forced removal and genocide, and some references to gender-based violence. Parents/carers are advised to check the content before showing to U16s.
Language Acts! What Are ‘Our Values’?
Keynote by
Debra Kelly (University of Westminster, King’s College London, Centre for Language Acts and Worldmaking, Festival of Europe)
Building on Language Acts and Worldmaking’s exploration of how and why the languages we use shape our world and lives, we’ll begin with one of the questions at the heart of this year’s UNESCO RILA Spring School: ‘What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your own values and how they shape your identity or identities?’. Focusing also on Language Act’s reflection on languages as a ‘hospitable space’ and on the Festival of Europe’s celebration of ‘the shared values and cultures of all those who call Europe home’, let’s make a space to think about, discuss, exchange and perhaps act on ‘our values’.
Where do they come from?
How do we express them?
What are your values?
What are my values?
What are ‘our values’?
What is shared?
What is not (and does that matter)?
When and how do (or don’t we) we act on them?
Will the rope of values that we create together pull us closer, pull us apart, offer us help or threaten us?
How do languages, and the histories,cultures and identities which they embody, act in the world?
Debra Kelly is Professor Emerita in Modern Languages, School of Humanities, University of Westminster and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London working with the Centre for Language Acts and Worldmaking. She also works with the volunteer team of the Festival of Europe and leads the academic portfolio and living archive of its Summer of Europe events. She is an editor for the Language Acts and Worldmaking book series published by Hodder & Stoughton/John Murry Learning which proposes new ways of bridging the gaps between those who teach and research languages and those who learn and use them in everyday contexts from the professional to the personal. She is particularly interested in public and community engagement and in 2018 and 2019 she curated the University of Westminster’s Difference Festival, a week-long series of public talks, workshops, walks, film screenings, discussions and performances highlighting the importance of the humanities and the social sciences to today’s social, political and cultural concerns.Her current research focuses on the cultural history of French communities in London since the 17th century to the present. She is co-editor of A History of the French in London: Liberty, Equality, Opportunity (2013) and author of Fishes with Funny French Names. The French Restaurant in London from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Century (2022). In 2005 she received the award of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques from the French Government in recognition of her services to French language, literature and culture.
Back to the full programme
Using character development to understand our own and other’s values and identities
Workshop by
Dr Yvonne Skipper (School of Education, University of Glasgow)
Daniel Boatwright (University of Strathclyde)
White Water Writers (WWW) gives groups of people the opportunity to collaboratively, plan, write and publish their own full-length novel in just one week. Groups of up to 10 people work together to plot the story of their novel, design characters, collaboratively write all the text of the novel, proofread it and publish it. The authors receive professionally printed copies of their novel and the books are put for sale online. Our research shows that the project enhances literacy, aspiration, soft skills and creates a more positive self-concept. It also allows our authors to create characters and use them to explore the world we inhabit.
A key element of this project is that the stories are character driven. Each author produces their own character and is in charge of their journey through the novel. In this workshop, we will work with delegates to help them to develop their own fictional character to inhabit the world we create. We will ask delegates to produce characters who share some similar values with them, but also some differences. We will host discussions about how the characters might interact and what their story might be. In this way we will allow delegates to explore the theme of shifting identities and values in a novel way.
We will ask participants to share their ideas using online tools if they are comfortable in doing so, to provide starting points for others to engage in this conversation.
Dr Yvonne Skipper is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology based in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. Her research uses co-creation, working with partner organisations to find 'solutions' to real world educational problems. She is particularly interested in how we can inspire learners to believe they can achieve. Dr Skipper was a Finalist in the UK Psychology Teacher of the Year and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is a founder of the White Water Writers programme which gives groups of people the opportunity to collaboratively write and publish a novel in just one week.
Daniel Boatwright is a MSc student at the University of Strathclyde, studying research methods in psychology. His research interests include emotional resilience and the impact of flow on wellbeing. Daniel is an experienced White Water Writers facilitator and as run camps in schools, internationally and in prison settings. He has also helped adapt the process for delivery online during the covid-19 pandemic.
Image: White Water Writers presenting their work
Listening Beyond The Ear
Discussion by
Dr Gameli Tordzro (UNESCO RILA team)
Dr Sadie Ryan (UNESCO RILA team)
“We have three ears to listen with. Two on the sides of our head and one in our heart.” — Cited by Jo-Ann Archibald (2008, p. 76)
In conversation about important human qualities of respect, dignity, harmony and justice; a route to returning to an eco-social system of life, we draw attention to the need for refocusing our awareness as humans on the multiple listening spaces of life both within our everyday mundane activities and as professionals and academics. We discuss our ideas, thoughts and personal life experiences on what this means, the challenges and the possible breakthroughs.
This 30-minute conversation between Dr Sadie Ryan and Dr Gameli Tordzro from the UNESCO RILA team at the University of Glasgow explores how being an academic habituates speaking rather than listening and a gradual dimming of important listening capabilities that support and nurture the vast eco system of listening spaces and the human experience of the planet.
From linguistic artistic and cultural perspective, using the methodology of first person narrative and conversational interaction, we discuss problem of ‘academic speaking’ and listening through indigenous Ewe concepts of listening, drawing attention to the fundamental common human experience of sensing with/in the body and "bodily ways of knowing" (Geurts, 2012). We touch on examples of personal experience, references from social and scientific research, stories, multiple languages, poetry and song, where dignity, respect and justice are linked to protecting the earth in an ongoing harmonious and sustainable manner.
Dr Sadie Durkacz Ryan is Lecturer in Languages and Intercultural Studies at the University of Glasgow. Her research focuses on the role of language in identity construction. Her specialisms include migration, multilingualism, linguistic discrimination, accent and dialect variation, the language of teenagers and young people, language on social media, and the treatment of language in secondary school education. Her PhD research, completed in 2018, focused on the linguistic and social experiences of Polish teenagers in a Glasgow high school. She aims to spend her academic career developing methods for the study of language which centre and empower the speakers of marginalised varieties and languages, and to throw her weight behind the fight for linguistic justice in Scotland and elsewhere. She makes the award-winning linguistics podcast Accentricity (www.accentricity-podcast.com), which is aimed at a public, non-specialist audience, and tries to narrow the gap between academic knowledge about language and people’s everyday linguistic experiences.
Twitter: @sadie_d_ryan and @accentricitypod
Dr Gameli Tordzro is a Ghanaian multiple arts professional and a Creative Arts (CA) researcher, consultant and lecturer in Glasgow. He is Artist in Residence with UNESCO RILA, and a Research Associate on The MiDEQ Hub. His research is in creative arts and translating cultures, language and education with a focus on African diaspora music, video film production, story and storytelling. View his School of Education profile here.
Gameli is founder, composer and Creative Director of Ha Orchestra and the AdinkraLinks Poetry Network. In 2015 he received the Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) Music and Sound for his role in Kai Fischer's Last Dream (On Earth).
Ha Orchestra was set up as part of his doctoral research with AHRC Large Grant "Researching Multilingually at Borders of Language, The Body Law and the State".
What kind of film would YOU write about migration?
Workshop by
Mirna Šolić (University of Glasgow)
Alice König (University of St Andrews)
Our workshop falls into two parts: first, a public talk pitched at young people (11+) and adults, setting out the role that films play in mediating our understanding of migration; and second, a workshop where participants will have the chance to experiment with different ways of narrating migration themselves, by working together to write a screen play for a film featuring a story of migration. The range of films we will discuss is wide, including films such as King Kong (1939), The Terminal (2004), and Paddington (2014). In experimenting with their own storytelling, participants will have the chance to become producers (and not just consumers) of a story of migration. Through a series of exercises, they will analyse familiar habits of storytelling around migration, examine the messages these stories promote, and work together to discuss what habits they want to keep or break as they write part of a screen play for an imaginary film about migration. By building characters, giving them dialogue, plotting a narrative arc, and imagining their target audience they will develop understanding of the ways that stories work on us – and the power they have to build social relations and promote community.
Dr Alice König is a Senior Lecturer at the University of St Andrews. She runs an interdisciplinary research project called ‘Visualising War’, which examines habits of narrating and imagining war in different periods and places, and how representations of war influence real-life mindsets and behaviours. Her Visualising War podcast spans nearly 3000 years of history, from ancient Greece to the 21st century. Among other topics, she is researching how different people visualise forced migration – one of the many ripple effects of conflict.
Dr Mirna Šolić is a Lecturer of Czech and Comparative Literature at the University of Glasgow. She currently runs a project called “How to Talk About Migrations: Current Academic Research in Migration Studies and its Relevance for School Curriculum in Scotland and Further Afield”, which explores how the topic of migration is taught in Scottish educational system and abroad.
Connecting Values with Human Rights
Interactive presentation by
Pinar Aksu
Nationality and Borders Bill: strengthening border control
With recent developments of the Nationality and Borders Bill, the concept of border control is being proposed and imposed in various methods, including in everyday life and in law. This interactive presentation will explore aspects of the Nationality and Borders Bill highlighting key changes and how these changes undervalue human rights and strengthen border control. The session will also include participatory exploration about using creativity in intervening in creating social change.
Pinar Aksu is a first year PhD student at the University of Glasgow. Her research question explores ‘Art and Justice in Migration- using creative methods for social change and access to justice in migration’. Pinar is interested in concepts about human rights, using creative methods for change, and access to justice in migration. Pinar currently works with Maryhill Integration Network as a Human Rights and Advocacy Coordinator, as well as being a theatre maker with Active Inquiry and World Spirit Theatre. Her other involvements and interests include: committee member at Right to Remain, member of Royal Society of Edinburgh, supporter with Refugees for Justice, and International Detention Coalition.
Monuments for Equality
Workshop and discussion by
Paria Goodarzi (UNESCO RILA Affiliate Artist)
Mia Gubbay (Heritageprofessional)
Francesca Zappia (UNESCO RILA Affiliate Curator)
What attributes would a monument need to have in order to bring us together? How could monuments relate to notions of equality? What values would we like to pass on to future generations?
This project aims to explore if and how public monuments can contribute to the social and structural changes needed to reimagine and co-create an egalitarian society.
A drop-in workshop will be facilitated throughout the day on Thursday 12 May, and it is open to all. Tasked with imagining new kinds of monuments using a variety of media (e.g. clay, collage) together, we will reflect on questions integral to the project. At 2pm on the same day, we will co-host an open discussion. All are welcome to attend – people who have come to the drop-in workshop will be encouraged to show their pieces, reflect on the process, and think about the underlying objective of the project.
Paria Goodarzi, Mia Gubbay and Francesca Zappia. Respectively an artist and educator, a heritage professional, and a visual arts curator and art historian, we foreground the voices and creativity of communities that are underrepresented within debates surrounding national and global heritage—the communities we work with and belong to.
Pasichigare: We Are Nature
Workshop by
Tawona Sitholé (UNESCO RILA team)
Inspired by pasichigare (connectedness) and mutupo (totem) traditions of Zimbabwe, this writing workshop is an invitation to discover your own nature spirit. Create your own detembo (praise poem) for your nature spirit, and have a chance to share it with others. Interactive and conversational, this experience offers space for us to consider our self within family, community and nature. it is a celebration of who and how we are in the world. it is a chance for us to do kucheuka, turning back to look at how ancestors attended to wellbeing of themselves, each other and our pasi - earth - that is the resource of life and living. most importantly this is hosted in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
Tawona Sitholé is a poet, playwright, mbira musician, educator and facilitator. His ancestral family name, Ganyamatope, is a reminder of his heritage, which inspires him to make connections with other people through creativity, and the natural outlook to learn. As co-founder of Seeds of Thought arts group, Tawona’s work involves supporting and facilitating access to the creative arts. Tawona is Poet in Residence for GRAMNet and works in a variety of settings and institutions. He is Research Associate with the Migration for Development and Equality (MIDEQ) research project. As he continues to write, teach and perform, mostly he appreciates his work for the many inspiring people it allows him to meet.
For a taste of Tawona's work, watch him perform A Guide to the Traveller.
Illuminating Shared Values and Cultural Identity through Conversations in Music
Workshop by
Christine Kammerer (singer, musician and composer)
In this workshop we will explore how music and ancient musical structures can be used as a way in which we can discuss and negotiate values, feelings and perceptions concerning common human subjects. Throughout this session you will be presented with different themes and images, which we will musically discuss in a jam session. Letting our thoughts and feelings about the subject be conveyed through our instruments. Be it our voice or another musical instrument.
As an introduction to the workshop, I will present my own work with prehistoric music and music structures and perform some of my compositions. I will explain how I use this to negotiate ancient roots and examples of cultural identity, heritage and folklore through music.
The aim of the session is to spark curiosity, and a willingness to investigate the differences and likeness between cultural identities. Attempting to facilitate a space of open communication without words, using music to delve deeper into the values which connect us – beyond borders.
The aim is also to illuminate the values which are common human, and therefore to see how music events like these might be able to aid in the process of integration, by creating a space which exists without words, but is completely dependent on listening and reacting to one another with an open mind and heart.
BRING YOUR OWN INSTRUMENT. If you play a folk instrument, this is amazing, if not, then bring whichever instrument you like. We will work in groups of 4-5 and present the result of our jam session to each other afterwards.
Christine Kammerer is a Danish singing instructor and musicologist, and an award-nominated composer, singer & songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. She has collaborated with musicians, museums and companies all over the world and is lead singer, lyre player, and co-founder of the bands Gjaldulei and Jotun Revolution.
Throughout the past 5 years Kammerer has performed at markets, festivals and venues Denmark, the UK, Germany and USA. Some her collaborations are with: Kronborg Castle, Mathilde Falch, Kjell Braaten, Bethesda Nordic, the Scottish Crannog Centre, UNESCO RILA / University of Glasgow, Ledreborg Castle, Land of Legends and municipalities in Denmark. Both as a soloist and with her band she has been on radio shows in Denmark, UK, USA and the Netherlands, also discussing her work with pre-historic music.
Kammerer holds a BA in Musicology and Cross-Cultural Studies and a Master of Arts in Culture and Communications from Copenhagen University. In her masters she specialized in Living History and in the discussion, portrayal and performance of cultural and collective identity in different genres of music. Since then, Kammerer has worked with the curation of cultural heritage and folklore through music and living history, with her Viking folk Gjaldulei and her band Jotun Revolution.
On her webpage you can read more about her work with music and cultural identity and heritage www.ckammerer-music.com
Museum of Things
Workshop by
Paria Goodarzi (UNESCO RILA Affiliate Artist)
Mousa AlNana (artist)
with Maryhill Integration Network
Since February 2021, Maryhill Integration Network has been developing a new visual art project, the Museum of Things. Lead artists Paria Goodarzi and Mousa AlNana understand that communities who collectively engage in creative thinking are more resilient and better equipped to tackle social adversities and mental health issues. Together, we have seen that even small creative actions can have an enormous positive impact on awareness, representation and wellbeing. Now more than ever, we appreciate the value of art to tell stories, authentically, to create dialogue and understanding across our communities. The Museum of Things welcomes you to participate in exploring how we value wellbeing in relation to one another. The workshop will include an introductory presentation and a facilitated creative activity, followed by an open discussion and reflection.
Image: workshop for the Museum of Things
Mousa AlNana is a graduate of Sobhi Shoieb Art Centre, and graduated from Damascus University (2010) with a degree in Fine Arts. Mousa also holds a master’s degree from Glasgow School of Art (2020). “When you look at my artwork, you can sense the humanity in its different colours and its vulnerable stages, under the rough surfaces and the delicate lines. You can see what lies between the human soul, in my collage techniques, and monochromatic style. My aspiration for my art is to touch others and speak to them. Perhaps even to act as a reflection, as if art, frames and highlights our emotions.” https://mousaalnana.com/
Paria Goodarzi graduated in Art and Design at University of Science and Culture of Iran, after she moved to the UK, she studied Sculpture & Environmental Art at Glasgow School of Art, and is currently studying for a Masters in Adult Education, Community Development and Youth Work at the University of Glasgow. Paria is a member of UNESCO RILA Affiliated Artist Network. “My work revolves around cultural and political transfers and translocations, the ideas of the contemporary human condition, cultural identity and political issues that result in a displacement. I examine the hybrid condition of our society and the processes of formation, performance and representation through a multidisciplinary praxis that often take the shape of participatory and socially-engaged artworks.” www.pariagoodarzi.com
Maryhill Integration Network (MIN) was established to bring asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and the settled inhabitants of Glasgow together. Since 2001, we have been developing projects which support positive social change by investing in communities and providing a welcoming - and much-needed - safe and inclusive space with opportunities for collaboration and connection.
Home and Family values in World Poetry
Workshop by
Marzanna Antoniak (Poetry Patter)
Participants in this Poetry Patter gathering will explore the home and family values captured in poetry from around the world. Come along to get nostalgic, moved, and inspired.
Marzanna (Mana) Antoniak is a culture animator, community development worker, and a language teacher with a special interest in working with people who have had little experience of formal education. Her work revolves around strengthening community cohesion, accessibility of information, inclusive engagement, and capacity building amongst multi-ethnic communities. She has delivered several community development projects and programmed cross-cultural festivals and events across Scotland. She is the founder of Poetry Patter, sharing poetry from around the world and the Govanhill Open Museum street heritage trail, co-founder of Cosmopolis Creative Group, and co-organiser of the Bhasha Glasgow Language Festival 2021 and 2022. An aspiring polyglot, she learns and teaches languages, and trains language teachers.
Lunchtime with Naa Densua Tordzro
Workshop by
Naa Densua Tordzro (MIDEQ)
Come join Naa Densua Tordzro in the kitchen to learn how to prepare some delicious Ghanaian food. She will take you through the process of preparing her version of Jollof with a twist. It will be an interactive session with all ingredients provided for participants.
Come and lets have fun with cooking!
Naa Densua Tordzro currently works at the University of Glasgow as Research Assistant on MIDEQ (Migration for Equality and Development), School Of Education. She was awarded her MPhil from the School of Education, University of Glasgow in 2021. She holds a BA in Fashion Technology from the Heriot Watt University in Galashiels, Scotland.
She is Ghanaian, a fashion designer, dressmaker and African (Ga) music composer and singer with knowledge and research interest in ancient West African Adinkra symbols that were printed on traditional fabrics. Her current research focus is on decolonising textiles and fashion education in the contexts of the global south.
As a designer and African textile artist, she has spent time researching the value of African textiles culture of the Ghanaian living in the diaspora. She is also looking at how African textiles and clothing is interpreted when worn or used by people other than Africans. Naa Densua has created numerous items of clothing for wear, in Ghana and Scotland. She currently has a gown entitled ‘Obaa Sima’ Virtuous Woman on display at Kelvingrove Museum and Arts Gallery.
Right2Education
Presentation by
Esme Smithson Swain (Amsterdam University College, Right2Education)
Lidewij van der Vaart (Amsterdam University College, Right2Education)
Jeremy Vial (Amsterdam University College, Right2Education)
Alaa Aldrobe (Amsterdam University College, Right2Education)
Right2Education is a student-led initiative in Amsterdam, offering free Dutch and English Classes to refugees and asylum seekers. We hold regular language classes, plus donated spots from Amsterdam Universities, aiming to increase access to higher education settings. Our community, classes, and buddy system, are founded on the premise of mutual exchange of learning.
We noticed that university students describe themselves as in a university ‘bubble’; distanced and poorly integrated into the wider city. Because of this, for our organisation creating shared values is a process of building empathy and recognising the aspects of experience that transcend the student/asylum seeker categories. We will discuss the way that the organisation has grown since a student initiative in 2015, and challenges we have experienced and overcome to improve our practices. We aim to create a learning environment without traditional hierarchies and with a decentralised organisational system. Through this, we believe we can develop 'shared values'.
Esme Smithson Swain is an undergraduate student at the University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam University College), where she studies Philosophy and Law. After doing a TEFL qualification in 2018 she was an assistant teacher with Refugee Support Devon, and since 2020 she has been involved in Right2Education, firstly as an English teacher and then on the management board. She is now the external communications coordinator, managing the local partnerships and outreach. After her undergraduate degree she wants to study asylum law.
Lidewij van der Vaart is currently in her last year of her bachelor’s study at Amsterdam University College, focusing on Psychology, Media and Economics. Since 2019, she has been involved in Right2Education (R2E). First, as a buddy in the R2E buddy program. Then, she joined the board as the buddy program- and events coordinator, managing the complete social side of the Right2Education organisation. Now, she is the chair of the R2E board, in charge of all internal communication and managing the organisation as a whole. She is motivated to, by presenting Right2Education to a larger audience, spread awareness, as well as inspire others to take action too. After completing her undergraduate degree, she aims to obtain a master’s degree, focussed on corporate social responsibility, as well as, effective and inclusive leadership.
Jeremy Vial is studying for a Bachelor of Science (BSc) at the University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam University College), majoring in environmental sciences. Having been involved in the Right2Education (R2E) community in his first year, he joined the board in 2021 as a Student Co-Coordinator, managing the application process for refugees seeking English and Dutch classes with R2E. After his undergraduate degree he is looking to further study the socio-economic impacts of environmental changes, particularly on migration patterns, and their implications for policy.
Alaa Aldrobe is a Syrian refugee who came to the Netherlands in March 2021 and got involved in R2E first as a student, taking English and Dutch classes. Grateful for the opportunity to learn languages for free without yet having asylum documents at the time, he was motivated to contribute to the organisation in a more active role and became a Student Co-Coordinator in 2022. Going forward, he would like to pursue his studies, potentially in engineering, and continue building his life here in the Netherlands.
The Arts of the (Breakfast) Table, or How to Wake Up Unsuspected Possibilities
Workshop by
Les P’tits Déjs Solidaires
The Paris Free Breakfast Movement known as the P’tits Déjs Solidaires works to the motto Il faut que ça tourne, or ‘everyone has to keep moving’, that is, around the table and in the broader organisation, changing roles, adapting to newcomers. All the people joining the session for the Spring School are regular participants in the making of jam tartines and chocolate pieces while playing a variety of other roles, including accompanying individuals, writing creatively and combatively, facilitating drawing workshops, joining in dance events.
Image: dancing with Les P'tits Déjs Solidaires
Latifa Mahalla is a longstanding member of the collective and numerous other collectives in Northern Paris, including the Mères Combattantes engaged in the fight against violence on and amongst young people. She does a lot of work to coordinate resources across very large and small organisations.
Anna-Louise Milne was among those who developed the breakfast initiative out of campaigns for the right to remain. During these years she has also developed writing activities with people in forced illegality and precarity with the creation of the Paris Centre for Migrant Writing and Expression at the University of London in Paris.
Catie Peyron was also a very early breakfast participant and has also been a long-term host for a young solo Eritrean refugee. More recently she has developed her expertise in legal support, delivered directly at the breakfast point of distribution.
Rachele Shamouni-Nagde joined the breakfast movement after an MA in ethnography that brought her into contact with asylum seekers and refugees in Paris and through taking up PhD study in new practices in hospitality through a funded project with the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (Queen Mary University of London).
The importance of creating spaces of hope using creativity
Interactive workshop with MIN Voices of Maryhill Integration Network
The idea of being in Europe and rights being implemented is key for the asylum community. However, what does it mean when your limited rights are being withdrawn from you by the government? How do we continue to protect the shared values and rights for the asylum and refugee community?
This interactive workshop, led by members from the MIN Voices group, will explore challenging the hostile environment with the impacted community - as the values and rights of the people are at constant danger. It will provide the opportunity for the members of the MIN Voices group to present the recent achievements highlighting the importance of creating spaces of hope using creativity. Looking at the Right to Work - Lift the Ban campaign. There will be space for the participants to create banners, messages and posters highlighting methods of creating hope.
MIN Voices is an advocacy and peer-support group for people seeking asylum and refuge to have their voices heard. A participatory platform through which members can share information, be creative, campaign, access training and volunteering opportunities.
Maryhill Integration Network (MIN) was established to bring asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and the settled inhabitants of Glasgow together. Since 2001, MIN have been developing projects which support positive social change by investing in communities and providing a welcoming and much-needed – safe and inclusive space with opportunities for collaboration and connection.
An international singing workshop
With the Joyous Choir from Maryhill Integration Network
Penny Stone will facilitate a singing workshop, alongside other members of MIN’s Joyous Choir. Throughout the workshop, songs and sounds will be shared from different places, giving participants the opportunity to experience singing and moving together. One of the great values of song and dance is that something can be shared, even if different languages are spoken; everyone is able to share their voice, and everyone is able to listen. The language of the song may not be familiar to all, or even the tuning of the music, but the aim is that all participants will resonate with the meaning.
MIN’s Joyous Choir use singing to celebrate the richness and diversity within Scotland’s artistic landscape and cultural life. Through participating in the choir, women from diverse backgrounds share songs from their own cultures; songs of solidarity, freedom, sisterhood, journeys and dreams. Since 2013, the group has used singing to support inclusion and empowerment in a welcoming and creative space. The group love performing and have wowed audiences across Scotland in Dundee’s Cooper Gallery, Glasgow’s City Halls and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
Image: the Joyous Choir
Penny Stone is a songleader, teacher, singer and composer with a breadth of experience working with community singing groups and radical music groups. Penny is committed to working for peace and social and environmental justice, helping to free people’s voices through listening, singing, campaigning and writing.
Cry Freedoms: Sticks, stones and the Value of Sharing
Keynote by
Alison Phipps
At Nehanda’s tree
The boys are selling onions,
Cheap plastic imports
From China,
They are advertising stump dressing
And the killing of bees.
At the end of 2021 David Graeber and David Wengrow published their joint work entitled The Dawn of Everything: Towards a New History of Humanity. It is one of the most provocative and exciting works of generosity and humble scholarship that the academy has received in years. Whilst many of the ideas in and of themselves are not new the work synthesises work in archaeology, anthropology and the history of ideas and cultures in such a way as to allow for new grand value-based narratives to begin to emerge following the proclamations of the ‘death of grand narratives’.
In this synthesising talk, catching the values shared during the spring school I will explore the implications of Graeber and Wengrow’s synthesis and leading ideas for our work. I’ll look at what it is that shapes our ideas of what is valuable, and how value accrues to objects and ideas such that they become points of restoration or violence. In particular I’ll explore the themes relating to migration and freedom, and to craft. How is it certain languages carry value or certain kinds and others do not? What does it mean for something to have ‘currency?’ and what can we learn from the work of integrating the things we value collectively to sustain the work of peace and justice for all. And most importantly, in the quest to be better humans, what can we learn about how we work with values, virtues and valuables?
Tabou et intimité en Wolof / Taboo and intimacy in Wolof
keynote presentation by
Dr Fatou Cissé Kane
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ENGLISH VERSION
Toutes les sociétés à tradition orale ont régi des règles fondées sur des valeurs qui leur sont propres et qui leur permettaient de continuer à perpétuer et de faire vivre l’héritage culturel des ancêtres, mais également de jouer un rôle important dans la reconnaissance identitaire et le maintien de la cohésion sociale. C’est ainsi que la société wolof comme toute société, prône les valeurs de respect des anciens (am kilifa), de politesse (yar), de pudeur (kersa), de respect (teggin), de bons comportements (jikko yu rafet), etc.
Mais l’on remarque de nos jours, la recrudescence de ces valeurs due à la globalisation. La civilisation de l‘universelle que prône l’Occident, n’est pas compatible avec nos valeurs et nos réalités culturelles parce que cela entraine leur dégradation.
L’exemple de la loi portant sur la légalisation de l’homosexualité (ngóor jigéen) en est une illustration et c’est pour cette raison que le mouvement ànd sàmm jikko yi qui est un mouvement qui lutte pour la préservation et la conservation des valeurs sénégalaises, s’oppose à la légalisation de cette loi. C’est pour cela, le mouvement avait organisé un grand rassemblement le 20 février 2022 à la place de l’obélisque à Dakar pour dire non à la légalisation de l’homosexualité au Sénégal.
Ceci m’amène à me poser un certain nombre de questions à savoir:
- Si nos valeurs reflètent en réalité notre identité?
- Peut-on dissocier valeurs et identité?
- Le contact des cultures, ou la migration a-t-il une influence sur nos valeurs?
Ce sont toutes ces questions que j’essaierai d’aborder lors de mon intervention en le combinant avec le thème „tabou et intimité en wolof“.
Mots clés: sutura (intimité), ngóor-jigéen (homosexualité), lu nu dul tudd / lu nuy nëbb (tabou), góor-jigéen (homosexuel), jikko yu baax (valeurs), ku wàcc sag ànd, ànd boo dem fekk fa boroom mu toog (si une personne perd ses valeurs, il trouvera une autre qui gardera les siennes).
Née au Sénégal, Fatou Cissé Kane est titulaire en 2019 d’un doctorat en linguistique de l’université de Cologne en Allemagne plus précisément à l’institut des études africaines et égyptologiques. Le sujet de sa thèse porte sur la description générale de l’oniyan. L’oniyan est une langue minoritaire parlée au sud-est du Sénégal plus précisément dans les régions de Kédougou et de Tambacounda dont elle a fait la description grammaticale, l’étude de la possession et de la langue secrète, parlée durant les cérémonies d’initiation.
De 2017 à 2019, elle a participé à un projet sur le tourisme et la migration sur l'île de Majorque en Espagne. Ce projet était dirigé par la professeure Anne Storch de l’université de Cologne et sur ce projet, son rôle était de décrire l’intimité des sénégalais vivant sur cette île. À la fin du projet, une brève exposition a été faite à Cologne.
Après au mois d’avril 2021 jusqu’en janvier 2022, elle a participé comme live-speaker au projet „Resist“: the Arts of resistance, dirigé par le musée Rautenstrauch Joest Musum de Cologne. Son rôle en tant que live speaker, consistait à être en contact avec les visiteurs en leur présentant de nouvelles perspectives, différentes de celles qu’ils avaient l’habitude de voir. Elle discutait avec les visiteurs sur les différentes thématiques de l’exhibition comme le racisme, le colonialisme, la restitution, etc. Elle apportait une réflexion critique sur le déroulement de l’exhibition, sur le privilège blanc et sur le racisme structurel notés dans la plupart des institutions européennes.
ENGLISH VERSION
All societies with an oral tradition have rules based on their own values which allow them to continue to perpetuate and keep alive the cultural heritage of their ancestors, but also to play an important role in the recognition of identity and the maintenance of social cohesion. Thus, Wolof society, like any other society, advocates the values of respect for the elders (am kilifa), politeness (yar), sham (kersa), respect (teggin), good behaviour (jikko yu rafet), etc.
But we notice nowadays, the recrudescence of these values due to globalisation. The civilisation of the universal that the West advocates is not compatible with our values and cultural realities because it leads to their degradation.
The example of the law on the legalisation of homosexuality (ngóor jigéen) is an illustration of this and it is for this reason that the movement ànd sàmm jikko yi, which is a movement that fights for the preservation and conservation of Senegalese values, is opposed to the legalisation of this law. For this reason, the movement organised a large rally on 20 February 2022 at the Place de l'Obélisque in Dakar to say no to the legalisation of homosexuality in Senegal.
This leads me to ask myself a number of questions:
- Do our values really reflect our identity?
- Can we dissociate values and identity?
- Does cultural contact or migration have a direct or indirect influence on our values
These are all questions that I will try to address in my talk, combining it with the topic "taboo and intimacy in Wolof".
Keywords: sutura (intimacy), ngóor-jigéen (homosexuality), lu nu dul tudd / lu nuy nëbb (taboo), góor-jigéen (homosexual), jikko yu baax (values), ku wàcc sag ànd, ànd boo dem fekk fa boroom mu toog (if one person loses his values, he will find another who will keep his).
Biography
Born in Senegal, Fatou Cissé Kane holds a doctorate in linguistics from the University of Cologne in Germany, more precisely from the Institute for African and Egyptological Studies. The subject of her thesis is the general description of Oniyan. Oniyan is a minority language spoken in the south-east of Senegal, more precisely in the regions of Kédougou and Tambacounda, and she has done a grammatical description, a study of possession and the secret language spoken during initiation ceremonies.
From 2017 to 2019, she participated in a project on tourism and migration on the island of Mallorca in Spain. This project was led by Professor Anne Storch from the University of Cologne and on this project her role was to describe the intimacy of the Senegalese living on this island. At the End of the project, a short exhibition was held in Cologne.
From April 2021 to January 2022, she participated as a live-speaker in the project "Resist": the Arts of resistance, run by the Rautenstrauch Joest Musum in Cologne. Her role as a live speaker was to engage with visitors by presenting them with new perspectives, different from those they were used to seeing. She discussed with the visitors the different themes of the exhibition, such as racism, colonialism, restitution, etc. She critically reflected on the exhibition and its content. She critically reflected on the exhibition process, on white privilege and on the structural racism found in most European institutions.
Immersive soundscape: from Alba to Aotearoa
Immersive soundscape by
Brittnee Leysen and colleagues
This event will focus on the experience of migration through an immersive soundscape: from Alba to Aotearoa. Although emigrants, refugees, and migrants might land far from their native land and people, they retain vivid visual, aural, and olfactory memories of their homes. The once physical landscape thus becomes an imaginary landscape that we carry with us even into the unknown.
In this sensory experience, you will be invited to experience a soundscape.
We will start our journey together in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, but we won't stay there. We will transition to other places and I challenge you to try and recognise where you are or in what kind of environment you are. At the end, we land in Aotearoa. The bird calls here may be unfamiliar, perhaps the cicadas louder. The language, Māori, reaches us before we hear the words of a Karakia, a parting prayer, closing out the journey.
Following this experience (which will last around 15 minutes), we will spend around 10 minutes reflecting on the experience, before using the remaining time to share what we have been through together. Creative expression will be encouraged.
Brittnee Leysen joined the UNESCO RILA Secretariat in October 2021 as a Project Administrator. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Communications from the College of Charleston, and an MLitt in Celtic Studies from the University of Glasgow. At present, she is completing her PhD at the University of Glasgow on Pākehā Place-Names in Aotearoa New Zealand's Clutha and Central Otago Districts: An anthropological onomastic study.
Country of Origin Expert Evidence in Immigration and Asylum Cases
Keynote presentation by
Dr Awol Allo
There is a growing consensus that asylum applications supported by expert evidence have a greater chance of success. As a result, country of origin experts are increasingly being called upon to provide independent country-specific information in asylum and immigration cases in the UK and other jurisdictions. At the same time, expert evidence is coming under considerable scrutiny over the last few years. Drawing on my experience as an expert witness in several asylum and immigration cases from the Horn of Africa, this keynote will consider and discuss how country of origin experts can assist judges to understand and appreciate specific accounts and claims in asylum applications within their broader cultural, historical, economic, and political contexts. Emphasizing the importance of rooting expert opinion in robust evidence, I will consider the available data on the extent to which expert reports can play an important role in the decision-making processes.
Dr Awol Allo is a senior lecturer in law at Keele University. At Keele, he is also Chair of the Equality and Diversity Committee, Mooting Coordinator, Social Justice and Human Rights Research Cluster Coordinator and Research Committee Member. Prior to joining Keele Law School, Dr. Allo taught at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He holds degrees from Addis Ababa University (LLB), University of Notre Dame (LLM), and the University of Glasgow (PhD). His latest publications include:
- 2021. The Courtroom as an Arena of Ideological and Political Confrontation: The Chicago Eight Conspiracy Trial. Law and Critique. Read here
- 2018. Protests, Terrorism, and Development: On Ethiopia’s Perpetual State of Emergency. Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal, 133-177, vol. 19(1). Read here
Exploring Polar Bear Research as Ethical Space, Practice and Process of Engagement
Presentation by
Saskia de Wildt (Queen's University, Canada)
Leonard Netser (Coral Harbour, Nunavut)
In Nunavut, polar bears are co-managed by federal and Inuit governing bodies. Following the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, it is mandatory to incorporate Inuit knowledge and values in wildlife management and research. However, the ideal of knowledge integration within wildlife conservation research and co-management, too often translates to a practice of box-ticking or knowledge appropriation - despite many research proposals stating intensions to do otherwise.
There is a rich body of knowledge from Indigenous and critical scholars on how to relate, in an ethical manner, different ways of knowing the world. Their approaches often allow for both demarcation of sacred spaces for knowledges that are irreconcilable with western ways of knowing, as well as for exploration of how we can bring together differentiated knowledge(s) on the bases of ethical relationships and mutually agreed upon rules of engagement (see Ermine, 2007).
Leonard Netser (Coral Harbour, Nunavut) and Saskia de Wildt (Queen’s University, Canada) will present on their collaborate efforts towards polar bear research as an ethical space, process and practice of engagement.
Leonard Netser is a hunter and an artist, based in Coral Harbour. As he has grown up and has always lived on the land of Southampton Island, he doesn’t only know the land intimately, he is also well connected to multiple hamlets and individuals on the Island and beyond. He speaks fluent Inuktitut in multiple dialects which made it possible to receive mentorship and advice from community elders.
Leonard has previously collaborated with the BearWatch team as a principle investigator in Coral Harbour for the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program grant, titled; “Nunavummiut Polar Bear Surveys on Southampton Island: Toward Nunavummiut-inclusive Polar Bear Monitoring and Arctic Climate Change Impact Assessment’’.
His culture doesn’t believe in boasting achievements, but rather in telling stories. In his own words his expertise therefore lies all around the Tundra. His skills however, are applicable far beyond.
Saskia de Wildt is a creator/researcher. She is currently a PhD Vanier Scholar at Queen’s University, Canada, but has her roots in the Netherlands. Her work transcends boundaries and binaries, but always gravitates close to decolonial theory, sensory ethnography and art. She is interested in applying art-direction, performance art and critical theory towards sustainable development and conservation challenges.
"Artolution: The Next Phase In the History of Public Art for Transformational Change Globally"
Keynote presentation by
Max Frieder, Esero Nalyong and Ayakaka Flora (Artolution)
In Artolution: The Next Phase in the History of Public Art for Transformational Change Globally, Dr. Max Levi Frieder, Co-founder of Artolution will be joined by Flora Ayakaka and Esero Nalyong, teaching artists and educators on the Artolution team, to discuss the ongoing work in Northern Uganda at the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement. The teaching artists will discuss the impact of arts education and public engagement with the South Sudanese refugee community. You will also witness personal testimonials about their experience working with children and the critical role of public art in transforming their outlook for the future.
Max Frieder is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the international community-based public arts organization Artolution. He is a public artist and community arts educator from Denver, Colorado who is based out of New York City. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with honors and a degree in Painting and received his Education Masters (Ed.M) in “Community Arts” in Art and Art Education from the Teachers College, Columbia University. He published a three-year body of research through his Education Doctorate (Ed.D) titled “ The Rohingya Artolution: Teaching Locally Led Community-based Public Art Educators in the Largest Refugee Camp in History”. He has worked with hundreds of communities in different contexts across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Australasia, Europe, North America and Asia. His work ranges from community building in refugee camps, art education in emergencies, hospital workshops, abuse and addiction support through art, trauma relief, reconciliation and conflict resolution. He is a trans-disciplinary artist, sculptor, puppeteer, teacher and facilitates collaborative mural programs that address critical local issues with children, youth and families. He created the “Foundstrument Soundstrument Project”, building large-scale interactive percussive sculptures out of trash and recycled materials around the world.
His projects have taken him from Syrian, South Sudanese, Palestinian, and Greek refugee camps to conflict zones, traumatized communities, and across borders to over 26 countries globally. He has received recognition from the New York Times, CBS and the Associated Press. He planted the seeds for the first ongoing public arts program for Rohingya artists in the largest refugee camp in the world, in Bangladesh on the border of Myanmar. He is a published author contributing to “Art Making with Refugees and Survivors: Transformative Responses to Trauma after Natural Disasters, War and Other Crises”,as well as publishing with Global Citizen. For his global work, he was awarded the International Crisis Award from World of Children and UNICEF in 2018. His ranging work focuses on cultivating ongoing programs by educating local artists globally on how to transform communities through public engagement, creative facilitation and inspired participation as the next phase in the history of the arts.
Ayakaka Flora is a teacher, designer and artist from Uganda with over 20 years of classroom experience. She holds a master's degree in Education Management from Bugema University and is an active member of the Uganda National Teachers Union.
She is involved in advocacy especially for gender equality and other marginalized classes of people in her community. Her main interest is in children. As somebody who hails from a society that is considered by many to be lagging behind in education, she encourages children to love education and attain a qualification if they are to become responsible citizens in future. Artolution has created for her the platform to interact many children both in the settlement and the host community.
Esero Nalyong is an artist and trained secondary school teacher from Uganda. He currently works as Artolution field coordinator of the Yumbe-Uganda program. He also works for Training of Teachers and creates murals and pencil portraits as a self-employed artist.
Esero is interested in the communicative aspect of artistic images and in their magical ability to capture diverse individuals' attention. He has previously worked as a cartoonist and used his caricatures in peace-building efforts and as a "brain-refreshing tool" to cement relationships between torn student communities in college. He now focuses on murals and their therapeutic capacities in strengthening resilience and reconnecting lost community relationships.
We Are Here/ Nous Somme Ici / نحن هنا
Presentation by
Seif Eddine Jlassi
Lessons learned from Indigenous Climate Injustice
Presentation by
Nakárori “Rarámuri” ZacEnTlána Colimaitl
As a child, Nakárori, navigated the nexus of Indigenous Climate Injustice to integrate throughout his life into various communities across cultures and socio-economic realms. In this session, Nakárori will collaborate with you to explore many ways refugees may harness language and art to integrate, empower, and lead!
Nakárori is honoring your Ancestors, her Ancestors, and the Ancestors of the lands where our bodies are.
Nakárori ZacEnTlána Colimaitl is a Two-Spirit (We/he/She) Rarámuri. She honors Your Ancestors, his Ancestors, and Ancestors of lands where we stand. He survived childhood social, racial, nutritional, educational, and environmental injustices. We is not a victim. Her Indigeneity and Ancestral Shamanism permeate his "arting", coaching, healings, and Global Indigenous Climate Justice advocating to ensure policymakers fully Implement optimal standards necessary for the thriving, dignity, and well-being of our indigenous peoples and non-human relations in the world.
Prior to supporting the Autochthonous Biosphere Coalitions as Executive Director, Nakárori was a federal public servant across the globe for the people of what is now known as the United States, for 10+ years, while collaborating with other governments.
- Privileged to have worked on all continents except Antarctica (tested proficiency in 10 languages), he led transdisciplinary international teams in multi-national/multi-million dollar programs (e.g., disaster response, medical outreach, migration, fisheries, internally-displaced persons, HIV/AIDS, humanitarian assistance).
- Blessed with following great leaders and learning from exceptional teammates, her portfolio has included Foreign Policy, Congressional Affairs, and Communication Strategies: plus U.S. interests with the United Nations and African Union.
- Frustrated to have personally witnessed the Intersectionality of Climate Injustice in over half the countries on earth, she is developing and devoting his soul, mind, and being to do We's part to alchemize this.
The Autochthonous Biosphere Coalitions's (ABCs) mission is to expand a Climate Justice network of Indigously led continental coalitions to ensure policy makers’ full implementation of optimal standards for our indigenous peoples’ and non-human relations’ thriving in our world. This will benefit all of us.
Keynote poets
Nyashadzashe Chikumbu
Nyashadzashe Chikumbu is a columnist for The Migrant Online, and a Poet. His poetry is deeply shaped and inspired by language, it’s beauty and possibilities, how the act of owning and clamimg language(s) is an act of freedom, how the power of reimagining language and it’s uses is a portal to other worlds. He is the editor of a forthcoming poetry anthology featuring 50 contemporary African poets from Mukana Press.
Follow Nyashadzashe on Twitter @dzanyashadzashe
Esa Aldegheri
Esa Aldegheri has recently submitted an ESRC-funded PhD at the School of Education, University of Glasgow: a multilingual study of how narrative exchange, including poetry, facilitates the encounter between forced migrant and receiving communities in Scotland and Italy. She is also a poet and a facilitator of creative writing sessions, working with women from Syria as a Lead Reader for Open Book in Edinburgh. Her first book will be published on 7th July: called 'Free to Go', it is the story of a motorbike journey from Scotland to New Zealand; a meditation on freedoms and restrictions; an account of navigating a world which assumes women ride pillion. If she could fly she would be a swallow moving between her two countries, Italy and Scotland.
Follow Esa on Twitter @aldeghesa
Aine McAllister
Aine McAllister is a poet from the Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland, who works as a Lecturer in Language Education at University College London (UCL). She is currently a UCL Public Policy Fellow and through this position seeks to develop engagement pathways with policy makers to reduce barriers to higher education for refugees and asylum seekers. Her work is published in journals and she uses poetry and poetic enquiry in her research. She is interested in exploring how poetry gives voice and using dialogue as a tool for writing and for facilitating writing.
Follow Aine on Twitter @aine_mcallister