UNESCO Chair on Refugee Integration through Education, Language and Arts

‌‌Auckland, New Zealand

Refugee Artist, Educator and Arts Based Doctoral Researcher

I was born in 1972 in Persia. I came to Aotearoa New Zealand as a Baha’i refugee unaccompanied minor in 1989. After working as an artist, and in youth work in Wellington, I moved to Auckland and became a teacher. Later after completing my MA in Development Studies I worked as a regional advisor for the Families Commission, and in educational development in the Pacific and in Aboriginal Education in Australia. Currently I work as Senior Adviser for refugee and migrant education and studying towards a Doctorate in race relations and education through Arts Based Research. I am a funder of refugee education initiative Project Pensive.

Generally the starting point for my paintings is the application of the shapes and the forms of written Farsi. Later through careful observation and contemplation on the painted lines my images, symbols and characters are born. Many of these images, symbols, and characters have been inspired by the New Zealand landscape, its peoples and cultures. I am further inspired by the works of New Zealand painters Colin McCahon and Pat Hanley, and the works of Mark Tobey. My love for colours and patterns comes from growing up in a Persian carpet making home and learning to weave from my mother Aqdas. I was also fortunate to be introduced to Persian calligraphy by my late father Abbas. My art is an important part of my life, and since leaving my family and becoming a refugee it has become a major source of personal expression, hope and healing; as well as an instrument for collaboration with other like-minded artists. In my work I try to express my views about refugee issues, social justice and other global issues; in particular human rights issues of minority and indigenous rights. My works also include collage paintings, lino prints, miniature paintings and calligraphy, as well as collaborating with poets. My most recent book collaboration was with my friend and well respected NZ poet Richard von Sturmer.

Project Pensive is an arts based refugee educational initiative that has been created as a result of my engagement with many refugee background students over many years through my work and research. Many of them have expressed that they value personalised feedback on their school work and achievements; their teachers’ recognition and knowledge of their religion, culture and language; their teachers understanding and empathy for their back ground, family circumstances and history; and most of all they would like words of encouragement and support to inspire them to reach their goals and aspirations. Project Pensive provides teachers and school staff with an opportunity to hand write a feedback; thoughts and words of wisdom on a personalised greeting cards given to the student on a special occasion like a graduation; religious holyday or cultural celebration. The teacher also provides the student with a blank card for the student only if they want to provide a feedback and thoughts about the teacher. The student can write both in English and in their mother language.

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More examples of Del's work:

Refugee Intake Issue ART 1

Refugee Intake Issue ART 2

The poem below, written together with Richard von Sturmer and part of a larger collaborative art work (see the picture after the poem), is a donation to the Art for Change fundraiser, which was held on 17-18 November 2018. All proceeds from the art sale will go to the Auckland Refugee Family Trust.

WE ARE UNITED (1500)

A collaborative poem by Adel Salmanzadeh & Richard von Sturmer

OCT/NOV 2018

WE ARE UNITED!

For more souls to be rescued far from the sea of despair

To swim safely on the Petone foreshore on a hot sunny day

WE ARE UNITED!

For more hearts to be healed far from the wounds of bloody wars

To live in peace and fall in love with Mt Taranaki

WE ARE UNITED!

For more faces to be illumined far from the darkness of ash clouds

To enjoy the long summer twilight in Invercargill

WE ARE UNITED!

For more hands to be held far from sharp barbwires on border fences

To touch a kereru feather and a river stone from the Wairarapa

WE ARE UNITED!

For more feet to have travelled far from the deadly mine fields of the past

To walk through a forest of kahikatea in the Waikato

We ARE UNITED!

For more eyes to be opened far from ruined homes, schools and hospitals

To meet a new friend at the arrival gate in Dunedin airport

WE ARE UNITED!

For more minds to be nurtured far from the chaos of refugee camps

To fulfil their true potential in the universities of Aotearoa

WE ARE UNITED!

For more ears to be protected far from the deafening sounds of fighter planes

To hear the voice of a tui in a flax bush beside the Whanganui River

WE ARE UNITED!

For more vocies to be heard far from the injustices of a powerful few

To chant their prayers and sing their songs over Tāmaki-makau-rau

Anton Floyd was born in Cairo, Egypt, a Levantine mix of Irish, Maltese, English and French Lebanese. Raised in Cyprus, he lived through the struggle for independence and the island remains close to his heart. Educated in Ireland, he studied English at Trinity College, Dublin and continued his postgraduate studies at University College Cork. He has lived and worked in Cyprus as the principal of an international school. He has recently retired after many years teaching in Cork City and in service to the Educate Together project. He lives in rural West Cork.

Poems published in The Stony Thursday Book, Ghent Review, Live Encounters, The Shot Glass Journal, Fib Review, Crannóg, Inisfáil Arts Journal, Skylight 47, Swerve, Contemporary Haibun Online, Visual Verse and haiku in Shamrock, Seashores and tinywords. He is a member of the Irish Haiku Society. He won the IHS International Competition (2014), honourable mentions (2015, 2018, 2020 & 2021), prize-winner (2016), and was runner-up in the Snapshot Press Haiku Calendar 2016 Competition and highly commended in Anam Cara Competition 2019. A selection of haiku is included in Between the Leaves, an anthology of new haiku writing from Ireland edited by Anatoly Kudriavitsky (Arlen House, 2016), and in Shamrock Compilation Volume (2018). Poems selected by the Limerick Writer’s Centre for the April is Poetry Month Poetry Trail 2017, 2018 and 2019 and for the Kilkenny Arts Festival Fringe Poetry Trails, 2017 and 2018; the Inisheer Zibaldone Notebook (2017) and Drawing on Joyce, an installation by Nickie Hayden at the Oliver Cornet Gallery, Dublin; the anthology, Teachers Who Write edited by Edward Denniston (2018). He was the featured poet in Icarus (70:1 Trinity College Dublin, 2019). His poetry film Constant was selected for the Cadence 2023 video Film Festival (Northwest Film Forum, USA), Bloomsday Film (Dublin 2023) and Atticus Review (2024). The poetry film, Women Life Freedom was a commision from IUAES (Series on Freedom and Peace in Iran, November 2022). He received the 2019 Literary Award by the Dazzling Spark Arts Foundation (Scotland).

Anton's debut poetry collection Falling into Place was published by Revival Press (2018). He edited Remembrance Suite, a chapbook of sonnets by Shirin Sabri (Glóir 2018) and an international anthology of poems, Point by Point (Glóir 2018). His poetry collection, Depositions (Doire Press) which takes as its theme the worldwide refugee crisis, was published in 2022 with translations into over twenty languages. A special illustrated edition of Depositions, translated into the major indigenous languages of the British Isles, was published in June 2024 by Glóir with the assistance of the DS Arts Foundation and The Gaelic Books Council.

In 2024, Anton was appointed an affiliate UNESCO RIELA artist at the University of Glasgow. New collections, On the Edge of Invisibility and Singed to Blue (Haiku) are in preparation.

'Longing' in Live Encounters Poetry and Writing (August 2024)

Website: antonfloyd.ie

I am a young Haitian poet, born in 1994 in Delmas (Haiti). I did my classical studies in cycle 3 and secondary school from 2006 to 2013 at the Lycée Jacques 1er in Croix-des-Bouquets. After obtaining my high school diploma, I studied law from 2013 to 2017 at the Ecole de Droit et des Sciences Economiques des Gonaive.

I have in my prize list thirteen international poetry prizes with ten in France, one in Italy, one in Spain and one in Cameroon, including

• First prize Gens de lettres 2020 (in France)
• Special prize of the jury of Castello di Duino Poesia 2020 (in Italy)
• Third prize Des mots pour notre terre 2020 (in France)
• Special mention of the Prix Jean Bonicel d'Arcadia 2020 (in France)
• Third prize of the Joutes Poétiques les Rosati 2020 (in France)
• First prize Osez la poésie by Cléry Saint-André 2020 (in France)
• Third prize in the Premio Baros competition 2020 (in Spain)

In 2019, I published a collection (Book) of poems Mille éclats de mots et autres brillances with Niklovens Fransaint at Lys Bleu Editions (France). In december 2022, I published the poetry book Recoudre les Horizons at L’Appeau Strophe Editions (France). 

I have poems published in anthologies such as Florilège des écrivains en herbe, Plumes de la Sant Jordi and Florilège Ecole de la Loire.

In December 2021, I was in writing residency at the Fundacion Valparaiso, in Mojacar, Spain. And from March and April 2022, I was a writing fellow at Stiftung Kunstlerdorf Schoppingen, in Germany. In June 2023 I was a fellow of the program Hungarian Writers in Residence in Hungary. I am currently an Artist Protection Fund Writing Fellow in the UK, participating in a cultural exchange program at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Glasgow, Scotland until 1rst October 2023.

Brice Catherin is an artist and doctor in music composition (university of Hull). He has 18 years of experience as an independent musician, intermedia artist and performance artist, and 7 years of experience as an art researcher. 

His transversal and international approach to art practices has led him to collaborate with artists from all over the world. He also develops art projects and art-based PAR projects across disciplines with non-artists from the Global Majority as well as under-represented and/or marginalised populations in Europe and southern Africa.

Website: bricecatherin.org
Contact: brice@bricecatherin.org

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Photo credit Hannah Mentz

Chirikure Chirikure was born in Gutu, Zimbabwe, in 1962. He is a graduate of the University of Zimbabwe and an Honorary Fellow of Iowa University, USA. He stayed in Berlin, Germany, as a fellow under the 2011/12 one-year DAAD Berliner Kunstlerprogramm (Artists in Berlin Programme). He extended his stay in Germany and returned to Zimbabwe in 2014, where he works as a performance poet, artist and cultural consultant. With colleagues, he has also established LitFest Harare, an international literature festival, of which he is the director. The festival runs annually.

Chirikure worked with one of Zimbabwe’s leading publishing houses as an editor/publisher for 17 years, until 2002. After working as a consultant for a while, he went on to work for an international development agency as a programme officer for culture, for Southern Africa, based in Harare, until April 2011. He has published the following volumes of his poetry: Rukuvhute (1989, College Press, Harare); Chamupupuri (1994, College Press, Harare); Hakurarwi – We Shall not Sleep (1998, Baobab Books, Harare) and Aussicht Auf Eigene Schatten (Shona and English poems with German translations) (2011, Afrika Wunderhorn, Heidelberg, Germany).

He has also contributed some pieces in a number of poetry anthologies, including Zviri Muchinokoro (2005, ZPH Publishers), Intwasa Poetry (2008, AmaBooks Publishers), Schicksal Afrika (ed. Horst Kohler) (2010, Rowohlt Verlag), No Serenity Here – An Anthology of African Poetry in Chinese, (2010 Moonchu Foundation) and his poetry has been translated into a number of languages. He has also written and translated a number of children’s stories and educational books.

Chirikure’s first three poetry books received first prizes in the annual Zimbabwe writer of the year awards. His first volume, Rukuvhute, also received an Honorable Mention in the Noma Awards for Publishing in Africa, in 1990. His other book, Hakurarwi – We Shall not Sleep, was selected as one of the 75 Best Zimbabwean Books of the 20th Century in a competition ran by the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in 2004. In that competition the same book got a prize as one of the best five Shona publications of the 20th Century.

Chirikure performs his poetry solo and/or with DeteMbira mbira music ensemble. With DeteMbira, they recorded an album of poetry and music, Napukeni (2002, Tuku Music/ZMC).

He regularly performed and toured with the late musician Chiwoniso Maraire, with whom he recorded a duet album of poetry with mbira music, Chimanimani (recorded 2007, to be released 2018).

With support from family and friends, he has also recorded an album of his poetry with contemporary music, Chisina Basa (2011, Metro Studios Harare/Inyasha Studios UK). He also recorded an album of poetry and music, in collaboration with poet Albert Nyathi. The album, Connected, was released in May 2014

He has also written lyrics for a number of leading Zimbabwean musicians and he occasionally performs and has recorded with some of these musicians. He has also contributed lyrics, translations and voice-overs in films and documentaries, and has acted in some theatre productions. He has also been an occasional contributor to the print media and used to run a radio programme for young Shona writers. He has also been involved in advertising, as a creator, conceptualiser/visualiser, actor and voice artist.

Over the years, Chirikure has participated in several international festivals, fairs, conferences and symposiums, as a performer, speaker or resource person.

Publications

1. Rukuvhute, (Poetry in Shona) (1989), College Press, Harare

2. Chamupupuri (Poetry in Shona) (1994), College Press, Harare

3. Hakurarwi – We Shall not Sleep (Poetry in Shona, with English translations), (1998), Baobab Books, Harare

4. Aussicht Auf Eigene Schatten (Shona and English poems with German translations) (2011), Afrika Wunderhorn, Heidelberg, Germany.

5. Mavende aKiti (Children’s Stories) (1989), College Press, Harare

6. Zimbabwe Junior Certificate Shona Revision (1989), College Press, Harare

7. Grade Seven Shona Revision (Co-author), (1989), College Press, Harare

8. Zviri Muchinokoro (Co-author: Poetry anthology), (2005) ZPH Publishers, Harare

9. Intwasa Poetry (Co-author: Poetry anthology) (2008) AmaBooks Publishers, Bulawayo

Discography/Audio Recordings

1. Connected (A collaborative/joint album of spoken word and poetry, with poet Albert Nyathi.) (2014)

2. Chisina Basa (Album of poetry with contemporary music) (2011)

3. Chimanimani (duet with Chiwoniso Maraire – poetry with mbira music) (Forthcoming)

4. Napukeni (Album of mbira music and poetry), (2002) Tuku Music/ZMC, Harare

5. Ray of Hope (Compilation album of AIDS awareness music: Contributed song/poem “Kuchaedza Chete”, with DeteMbira), Rooftop Promotions, Harare

6. “Mhakure, the cobra” and “Lizards for fish” (Poetry on album Ishago) (2001) Clic Music, Lennik, Belgium.

7. Famba Zvakanaka (Compilation album: Contributed song/poetry “In the dark?” ) (2005) International Migration Organisation, Harare.

8. Ngazvitaurwe/Speak Out (Compilation album encouraging civic society to speak out on issues affecting their lives) (2006), Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition/Rooftop Promotions.

9. Musoro (album of poetry and music, recorded with Machena Music), Harare (2017)

10. Actor in film “Cook Off”, (Tom Brickhill Production), Harare (2017)

11. Poetry/audio voice in film “Ruvimbo’s Wedding” (Ben Mahaka Production), Harare (2017)

12. Several contributions/collaborative recordings on other artists’ albums.

Festivals / Fairs

A selection of some of the festivals/fairs at which Chirikure has performed up to June 2014:

1. Glasgow and Liverpool performances of October 2017 as part of UNESCO RILA programme

2. Goethe institute, Johannesburg, South Africa (2015)

3. “What’s poetry” caravan, poetry tour of Indonesia, (April 2013)2. Several festivals and functions around Switzerland (2011- 2013)3. A number of festival and fairs around Austria (2011 – 2012)4. Beyrauth BIG SAS festival, Germany (2011 and 2014)5. Several fairs, festivals, functions etc around Germany (2011 – 2014)6. Zimbabwe – Berlin Festival, Berlin, Germany (June 2010)7. Poetry Africa Special Festival for International Cultural Conference, Maputo, Mozambique, (June 2009)8. Poetry Africa Festival, Durban, South Africa (October 2007)9. Berlin Literature Festival, Berlin, Germany (2008; 2011)10. Grand Slam de Poesie, Bobigny, France (June 2007 and 2009)11. Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland (2007)12. Internasjonal Veke Festival, Songdal, Norway (September 2007)13. Word from Africa, British Museum, London, United Kingdom (June 2007)14. World Social Forum, Nairobi, Kenya (January 2007)15. Stavanger International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech, Norway (September 2006)16. Arts Alive International Festival, Johannesburg, South Africa (2006)17. Literaturefestival Bremen (Poetry on the Road), Germany (May 2006)18. Spier Arts Festival, Stellenbosch, South Africa (February 2006)

4. Berlin Poetry Festival, Berlin, Germany (2005)

5. Power in the Voice Festival, Maputo, Mozambique (2005)

6. Intwasa Arts Festival, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (2005)

7. Poetry International, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

8. Medellin Poetry Festival, Medellin, Colombia (2004)

9. Winternachten Literature Festival, The Hague, Netherlands (2004)

10. TradeWinds Festival, Cape Town, South Africa (2004)

11. Kusanganisa Festival, SOAS, University of London, United Kingdom

12. Grahamstown Arts Festival, South Africa

13. Gottenborg Book Fair, Gottenborg, Sweden

14. Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany (1997; 2011)

15. Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA), Harare, Zimbabwe (Several times)

16. Zimbabwe International Book Fair, Harare, Zimbabwe

17. Poetry Africa, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa

18. Poetry Caravan: Goree Island, Senegal, to Toumbouctou, Mali (1999)

19. International Writers Programme, University of Iowa, Iowa, USA (1990)

“Chirikure Chirikure blends humour and anger, text and music, to achieve a pointed, wicked, risky satire that always finds its mark in contemporary Zimbabwe.”

- Mickias T. Musiyiwa, “The Poetry of Chirikure Chirikure,” Poetry International Website (Rotterdam, October 1, 2004)

Links: www.poetryinternational.org; http://badilishapoetry.com/

www.poetryinternational.org ; www.lyrikline.com ; www.berliner-kuenstlerprogramm.de ; www.ezomgido.com

Contact details: chirikure.chirikure@yahoo.co.uk

Christina Kyriakidou is a Visual Artist and Arts Facilitator from Thessaloniki, Greece, living and working in Glasgow.

Her work, influenced by the art movement of Excessivism, focuses on consumer culture and how it interconnects with wastefulness and the constant reproduction and re-invention of our contemporary identities.

Being a multidisciplinary artist, Kyriakidou often revisits the concept of waste in various areas of practice, including performance art.

Waste is seen as a direct documentation of a maximalist, consumerist way of life and, simultaneously, a visual representation of modern-day stressors and addictions.

In 2019, Kyriakidou was invited to showcase her work at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), at 'Growth: Disruption, Resistance & Resilience', an exhibition focusing on the role of contemporary art as a key arena for social action. Ever since, Kyriakidou has participated in both solo and group exhibitions in Scotland, Greece, Ireland, the United States, and Italy. In 2021 and 2022 her ‘Trashion Arts’ project was presented in several shows alongside the international exhibitor group SHIM.

Kyriakidou holds a First Class BA Honours in Contemporary Art Practice and in 2023 she completed her postgraduate studies in Adult Education, Community Development & Youth Work at the University of Glasgow with Distinction.

With an ever-increasing interest in artistic activism and art for social change, Kyriakidou has been running weekly art workshops for asylum seekers and refugees for the Central and West Integration Network  since the beginning of 2022. To this day, the art group led by Kyriakidou, has participated in several shows including exhibitions at the Scottish Refugee Festival for three consecutive years, and has formed ongoing collaborations with artists and organisations.

Kyriakidou’s practice is based on the radical educational approach, with a great focus on promoting the overarching values of self-determination, inclusion, empowerment, collaboration and lifelong learning.

Website: christinakyriakidou.com
Instagram: @space__shaman
Facebook: Christina Kyriakidou Art
LinkedIn: Christina Kyriakidou

Christine Kammerer is a singer/songwriter and composer who is also lead singer, lyre player, and co-founder of bands Gjaldulei and Jotun Revolution.

Kammerer’s music is a crossover between singer/songwriter and a fusion of Nordic and Celtic folk soundscapes, with a distinctive cinematic and symphonic character. With captivating melodies rooted in Nordic melancholic lamentations and her hypnotic, melodic and sonorous voice, she draws the listener into a universe, where she moves moving from tales of human nature to stories about folklore, myth and legend.

At times quiet and storytelling, inviting her audience to contemplate and immerse themselves in the universe the music opens. At times picturesque, hypnotic, and grandiose, creating a magical journey through tales and time.

Since 2016, she has performed at markets, festivals and venues Denmark, the UK, Germany and USA. Some of Kammerer’s collaborations are with: Kronborg / Helsinore Castle, Mathilde Falch, Kjell Braaten, Bethesda Nordic, the Scottish Crannog Centre, UNESCO RILA / University of Glasgow, Ledreborg Castle, Land of Legends and several municipalities in Denmark.

With her band Gjaldulei she performed for Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, at the opening of the exhibition “Togtet” at the National Museum of Denmark. Recently, Kammerer performed at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival (2021) and DKOS at Celtic Connections 2022, The Bungalow (2022), and in 2021 she did a commission for Bethesda Nordic. In 2021 Kammerer’s song “Eversong” was among the finalists in World Songwriting Awards.

Latest releases:

Echoes of North (album)

Hear Us Calling (demo)

Carry me Home (latest demo)

Watch live performances here:

Christine Kammerer – Singing, Piano and Lyre (live compilation)

Christine Kammerer – Singing and Guitar (live compilation)

Appearances in the UNESCO RILA podcast The Sounds on Integration:

Episode 19: By the fire at The Scottish Crannog Centre part 1 (18/10/2021)

Episode 20: By the fire at The Scottish Crannog Centre part 2 (26/10/2021)

PROJECTS & RELEASES

JOTUN REVOLUTION

Step into a musical soundscape where Nordic/Celtic folk, classical tonalities and the drama of musical theatre meets Danish/Scandinavian folklore in songs which tell stories of nature and mystical beings, who themselves do not have a voice. But nature speaks. Our job is to listen. Jotun Revolution is a Danish fae folk band which came alive on the misty moors and in the dark, dense forests of Jutland.

Listen on Bandcamp | All streaming platforms

Follow on Facebook | Instagram

Watch live performance compilation here

RELEASES:

• “Jotun Revolution” (demo, 2022)
• “Eversong” by Jotun Revolution (single, 2021)

GJALDULEI

The Danish Viking folk band Gjaldulei dig deep into the texts of the Icelandic sagas and the soundscapes of the Viking Age, to awaken cultural heritage and history through ancient timbres and galdering tones. Seeking harmonies long forgotten. Our approach to composing the music is experimental, and has roots in music archeology, -history, cultural history and the sagas.

Listen on Bandcamp | All streaming services

Follow on Facebook | Instagram

RELEASES:

• “Gjaldulei” by Gjaldulei (EP, 2019)

CONTACT & WEB

www.ckammerer-music.com

contact@ckammerer-music.com

07856 549053

Facebook | Instagram 

Daniel Connell was born in South Australia. He has a Bachelor of Spanish and Latin American studies and a Diploma of Education from Flinders University, a Master of Visual Art and a PhD from the University of South Australia. He lived in India for two years and travels and exhibits there. He is known for his large-scale, drawn portraits of migrants, particularly of the Indian community in South Australia. He is interested in the emergence of a new culture in the arts: Not art therapy; Not community art and not commodification but an alternative understanding as the arts as a place for hospitality for the new.

Link to his website
Link to his Wikipedia page
Link to his TED talk

I am Freelance Musician, Multi-instrumentalist, Singer Song Writer, and a certified Energy and Sound Healing Practitioner. I also work part time with Glasgow Life. I grew up in the West of Scotland Scottish Oral and Folk tradition and was a regular resident musician in the Marymass Folk Festival. During this period I was in many ways culturally isolated but that was soon to change. In 1984 I qualified in Visual Communications Studies (BA) from the Gorway Campus of what is now Wolverhampton University. During 13 years living in and working in a 95% African Caribbean and Asian neighbourhood in England, I became involved in community based cultural work and was a cofounder of the Cultural Awareness Programme. Since returning to Glasgow in 1994. I have worked all over the city in a range of neighbourhoods at grass roots level. I have a diverse range of skills working in both
the voluntary and statutory sector and as a freelance musician creative artist and cultural practitioner.

With regard to my most recent work, I feel it is a pleasure to work with Seekers of Asylum, Refugees, New Scots and speakers of English as a second language. I enjoy the diverse canvas it brings and I feel that we can all only be enriched by it in some way. I love to create a safe space where people can explore, learn, have fun together and essentially co-create a metaphor for life. We are developing something new, a template for growth. It is my joy to see people make connections both internally and externally. They become charged and enlivened, and begin to shine when that spark ignites to the point that it becomes infectious. Sometimes there is simply nothing better than to share and whilst we may lose sight of that creative spark for a time, it can never be taken away from us. It is intrinsic to our being.

Community has always been important to me. It is at the heart of my work. Our interconnectedness, and our interdependence is not only enriching and exciting it is essential to our survival yet there are so many people who for whatever their reason are unable to comprehend this wider perception. The joy of sharing our diverse perspectives and the process of finding a common way of communicating via art and music and the performing arts becomes the unifying factor. In many ways the process is more important than the end product. It reflects our ability to work through the challenges of finding a common understanding of what we want to create whilst ensuring that all who want to participate are given the opportunity to identify and work to the their preferred skill set. It is my job to ensure that everyone is encouraged and supported to qualify or even surpass their aspirational level of achievement or perhaps adjust or analyse this in relation to better or more realistic choices that could be made.

I truly believe that when we work in an authentic way we begin to fill in more of those lost spaces. We can give form to the formless and even a voice to the unutterable. In the process I always hope to honour both our individuality and our common humanity. It is my hope that my work in process helps create a new dialogue by means of the media at hand. Sound like mark making is raw and primeval at it’s best. Once alive the connection is struck and the ripple takes effect.

HA Orchestra Musician 2014 - Present
Celtic Connections Scale Up ESOL Music and Education outreach Programme November – April 2019
Schools Awareness Raising GBV Music and Film Project 2017
Founder Member of Hesu African Scottish Fusion Band 2004 /2007 and 2014 - present
Cultural Enterprise Office Specialist Adviser and Artist Mentor – Arts in Communities 2004 - Present
Community Services Officer, Glasgow Life – 2014 -Present
Cultural Services Officer, Glasgow City Council, 2006 - 2014
Community Action Officer, Glasgow City Council 2002- 2006
Freelance Arts Operative and Musician with Pan African Arts 2004 -2007 Schools and Prison Education Projects 2014 onwards as required
Coordinator- Education and Music Programming. Scottish Academy of Asian Arts 2000- 2002
Arts Development Officer - Performing Arts Glasgow City Council 1989 - 2000
Area Festivals Officer – Festival of Architecture and Design 1989- 1989
Arts Officer Local Art Management – Self Employed 1997 - 1998
Cultural Development Officer Glasgow City Council 1994 -1997
Community Arts Officer Walsall Council 1987- 1994

To get in touch with Edugie Clare Robertson, please contact the UNESCO Chair secretariat on unesco-rila@glasgow.ac.uk 

Effie Samara is a writer, film maker and doctoral researcher at Glasgow University. She studied Law at Cambridge University and obtained an M.F.A. in Writing from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Effie’s published work centres on participatory and reconciliatory art and on building community and possibility  at times of acute danger. She writes extensively on existing institutions and on Scotland’s constitutional debate after Devolution. In collaboration with York University in Toronto, she is the author of the Political in the Performative to “#MeToo in Performance: How Not to Look Away”.

Effie recently completed an appointment with the Scottish Government on ‘Mapping Community-Based Learning and Development Plans against the National Performance Framework’, engaging with qualitative evaluative methodologies as well as sustainable and innovative learning policies in Scotland. She has organised and curated Symposia, notably Spaces of Exile at Tramway, has participated in the Scottish Refugee Council Festival and is an active part of the GRAMNet network of researchers. She is the Founder of Red Women Theatre and a regular collaborator in UNESCO Chair’s Summer Programmes.  

Her theatre work includes SARTRE, Baby and LESBOS at Tramway, Glasgow. These works are reflective of the spirit of exile, minority rights and refugee integration. They focus on politico-philosophical debate, Human Rights, women’s rights and gender identity in exile. Her academic research under Professor Alison Phipps looks into exilic consciousness and radical reimaginings of citizenship towards a political dramaturgy through culture and creativity.

Her film work includes A Poetic Constitution for Scotland awarded the Chancellor’s Fund and featured as part of the Being Human Festival in collaboration with the British Academy. Effie Samara is the writer and producer of Taxi Driver, a short film and video Installation. The Installation premieres at the Scope Gallery in Paisley between 21-24 September 2022. The film Taxi Driver engages with Glasgow as a place of refuge, family, intimacy through an incisive women's lens. aims to energise an artistic form of citizen advocacy for positive change and a wider commitment to reflective practice with an activist perspective. 

Erdem Avşar is a Turkish playwright, translator and lecturer.

He was selected to the Royal Court Theatre’s International New Writing Scheme and completed his play Dark Pink under the supervision of Zinnie Harris, Mark Ravenhill and Richard Twyman. (2013-2015)

His short play #occupylove was showcased at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh as part of the TravNewTalents Words, Words, Words event (2014).

His #politicsoftea was accepted to National Theatre of Scotland’s “Yes, No, Don’t Know” festival, co-curated by David Greig and David MacLennan.

His translations of three Zinnie Harris plays, Midwinter, How to Hold Your Breath and Meet Me at Dawn, premiered at DOT Theatre, Istanbul, Turkey. His translation of Midwinter was listed in the 2017 Honours List of Eurodram – Network for Drama in Translation. His other translation credits also include David Harrower’s Knives in Hens and Kieran Hurley’s Square Go.

He worked as the director’s assistant and the interpreter in the rehearsal room for Ionesco’s Rhinoceros (a co-production between DOT Theatre, Edinburgh International Festival and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh) in a new version by Zinnie Harris.

He is also one of the four winners of the EU Collective Plays! International Playwriting Competition co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. The outcome of a series of writing residencies held in Italy, a full-length polyvocal play, the Boy with Scar, premiered as part of the 22^nd Quartieri dell’Arte festival in August 2018. The play had a multinational cast and creatives from Italy, England, Northern Ireland, Turkey and Benin.

Another play of his, the Contestant, also opened at the same festival in September 2018, directed by the Finnish director Juho Liira.

His work as a playwright engages with a poetic language, attempts at politicizing dramatic conventions and nurtures the idea of queering the dramatic structure.

He holds a master’s degree in Human Rights Law.

Francesca is an Italian curator based in Glasgow. After working for ten years in Paris with public and private collections, her move to Scotland in 2014 coincided with the beginning of her practice as an independent curator.

In her work, Francesca explores the potentialities of artistic and curatorial research in passing on cultural memory and producing fresh knowledge through the creation of alternative and decolonised narrations. Her practice takes a context-specific approach that develops through long-term conversations with artists and communities and results in the commissions of artistic projects. It also reflects about the curator’s responsibility towards the creation of connections between art and audiences. Therefore, besides organising exhibitions she explores new ways of disseminating art – online, on paper, or through workshops and discursive events.

Books published:

Les Flâneuses – Copies, appropriations, citations dans la collection du Centre national des arts plastiques, March 2021
Flaneurs - Copies, appropriations, citations from the Collection of the Centre national des arts plastiques, Jan 2023

https://francesca-zappia.art/

Next two images: Views of the exhibition “East End Transmissions”, The Pipe Factory, Glasgow, 2014. The exhibitions explored (hi)stories of the East End of Glasgow at the very period of its last regeneration plans concomitant to the Commonwealth Games.

Photos: Jonathan Abensur

Next two images: Views of the exhibition “L'intrigue se cherche dans le dénouement de son nœud”, la compagnie Marseille, 2018. Artists: Doriane Souilhol & Douglas Morland. An exhibition exploring gaps of translation in languages, “faux amis”, miscommunication and misinterpretation.

Photos: Sébastien Arrighi

Next two images: From the publication “Les Flâneuses. Copies, appropriations and quotations from the collections of the Centre national des arts plastiques”. Published by Cnap & Shelter Press.

Geraldine Sinyuy is a budding Cameroonian Anglophone writer residing in the North West Region of Cameroon. She was born in the North West Region of Cameroon in June 1979. She has a Ph.D in Commonwealth Literature and is a scholar and teacher by profession. She has published Music in the Woods and Other Folktales and Coedited Poetry in Times of Conflict anthology where her poems depicting the plight of the internally displaced people in her country also feature. She is also a contributor for Love letters to Water poetry anthology which was released in November 2022. Her works have appeared in FemAsia: Asian Women’s Journal, WordCity Journal, Time of the Poet Republic; Africa Writers Caravan; For Creative Girls Magazine; and Fired Up Magazine and in many scholarly journals.  She is currently working on her first collection of poems entitled, The Spear Grass, and on her first novel. Sinyuy is an editor for the online monthly WordCity Journal. Sinyuy is also an advocate for a safe and clean environment and she has a passion for organic gardening which she does in her spare time. Furthermore, Sinyuy has taught in many academic institutions in Cameroon and currently teaches English Language and Literature in English. She has attended many national and international conferences and has published many academic articles in both national and international journals. In 2017, she was the featured story teller on World Pulse. She is also a Digital Ambassador at World Pulse. Besides, she was recently selected as one of the judges for the Writing Ukraine International Poetry Competition. Sinyuy is an avid humanitarian and does voluntary work at GEH Orphanage in Bamenda, Cameroon. She was the International Human Rights Movement in 2023 and during this period she curated a book entitled, Agonies of the Displaced which is currently in the publication process.

As a teenager, Sinyuy Geraldine started writing poems and short stories and most of her poems and short stories were read and discussed on a radio programme entitled Literary Workshop: A programme for creative Writing and Literary criticism where she was often a guest speaker. During these years, she won the runner-up prize for the creative writing competition which was launched under this same radio programme. Reading was one of her best hobbies and she spent most of her free time reading books at the British Council Library which was in her home town, Bamenda, Cameroon. She was a registered member of this library. While in high School, the young Sinyuy was elected the School’s Religious Prefect and she demonstrated very good leadership skills at that tender age. When she subsequently entered the university, she joined the University Poetry Club (YUPOC) and later on joined the University Theatre Troop. She is currently an active member of the Anglophone Cameroon Writers Association, Research Gate, and Academia Edu. Her coming into IHRAF as an International Fellow for 2023 is a groundbreaking achievement for her as she hopes to contribute to the fight for equal rights and justice for all.

Public Talks

• “It’s All about the Rape of Water Bodies and the World Goes Asunder: A Study of the Misuse of Water Bodies in Bamenda, Cameroon”. Panel Discussion. A Human Rights Ethics to Water Consumption. Water from Ocean to Taps: Sumer/Winter School 2022 University of Southampton. International Webinar, June 21^st, 2022.
• “Though” (a poem) International Webinar Poetry Webinar September 2021.
• “Why the Oppressed Should Be Given Their Rights” International Webinar, on Alternative Perspectives and Global Concerns, August 2021.
• “The Effects of Early Marriage on Education”. Presented during the Celebration of the 25^th Edition of Day of the African Child, Baptist Centre Nkwen, Bamenda , June 2015.

PUBLICATIONS

Books

• Poetry in Times of Conflict, Meera Chakravorty and Geraldine Sinyuy. Kolkata: Writers Workshop, 2020.
• Music in the Wood and Other Folktales, Second Edition. Yaoundé, Nya Publishers, 2023.
• Music in the Wood: and Other Folktales. Blantyre, Footprint Publishing House, 202

Books in which Geraldine is a contributor

• Love Letters to Water: An Anthology. Ed, Claudiu, Murgan. Manor House Publishing Inc. 2022.

Short Stories

• “Falling Fetters” International Human Rights Arts Festival.2022.
• “Breaking the Chains of Psychologically Traumatizing Customs and Traditions”. World Pulse. 2017.

Articles

• “Traumatic Experiences in Dennis Brutus’ Selected Poems” The Journal of Rase Volume 18, 2022. 24-36.
• “Invisble Barriers: Food Taboos in V. S. Naipaul and Samuel Selvon.” Tabous: Représentations, Functions Et Impacts. Ed. Bana Barka and Lozzi Martial M. Kamtchueng. Kansas City: Miraclaire Publications, 2018. 167- 176.
• “Migration related malnutrition among war-instigated refugee children in the northern part of Cameroon.” South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition, DOI:10.1080/16070658.2017.1388559, October 2017.
• “Journey without End: A Closer Look at V. S. Naipaul’s Fiction.” International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities. Vol. IV, Issue IV, April 2016. 540-552.
• “Cultural Translocation in Three  Novels of V. S. Naipaul.” International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities. Vol. IV, Issue XII, December 2016. 371-383.
• “Which Other Way? Migration and Ways of Seeing in V. S. Naipaul.” Migration, Culture and Transnational Identities: Critical Essays. Edward O. Ako and Sarah Anyang Agbor. Editions L’Harmattan Collection: Harmattan Cameroon, July 2013.

Poems

•  “The Meditation of a South Sudanese Refugee”. FemAsia Magazine. January 2024.
• “I Rise”. WordCity Lieterary Journal. September 22.
• “Where is the refugee’s home?”; “Song of a Refugee”; “The Eviction”; “Cry for the lost homestead”; “Those who caused the abortion from our native land shall know no peace”; “I am still on the move”, “Our sacred places are now trampled upon by enemy feet”; in Poetry in Times of Conflict, Meera Chakravorty and Geraldine Sinyuy. Kolkata: Writers Workshop, 2020. 15-22.
• “The Christmas Scene.” WordCity Monthly, December 2020, Issue 4.
• “Stripped” FemAsia: Asian Women’s Journal. 25 July 2020.
• “Elegy for my Brother”: “The Strange Dance.” ForCreative Girls.

 Book Reviews

• From Africa with Love: Voices from a Creative Continent curated and edited by Kelly Kaur in conjunction with Wole Adedoyin, Director, IHRAF African Secretariat. A Publication of the International Human Rights Arts Festival (IHRAF), 2023.
• The Story of a Long-Distance Marriage by Sidhhesh Inamdar. WordCity Monthly, December 2020, Issue 4.

Hannah is a British artist who seeks to use art as a powerful tool for advocacy. She has previously organised art projects with Syrian refugees in Jordan; with Yezidi women who escaped ISIS captivity in Northern Iraq and with Rohingya children in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Her most recent art project has been with survivors of Boko Haram and Fulani violence in Northern Nigeria.

Through these art projects and Hannah's portrait paintings, she seeks to bring the stories of those who have faced displacement and conflict-related sexual violence into places of influence in the Global North. Her paintings have been shown in places including the UK Houses of Parliament, European Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace, Westminster Abbey and the Saatchi Gallery. She was selected for Forbes 30 Under 30 2019 and shortlisted for the Women of the Future Award 2020.

Hannah has a degree in Arabic and History from Durham University and studied her masters at The Prince's School of Traditional Art in London. She is a current PhD Scholar at Glasgow University with the UNESCO 'Art Lab for Human Rights and Dialogue' and MIDEQ.

‌Iain Campbell is a Glasgow based portrait painter. His work focuses on bold portraits, exploring life in the face of adversity. He is artist-in-residence at St. George’s Tron Church of Scotland in Glasgow, where he is working on a three-year project: painting the Gospel of Luke in a contemporary, Glasgow context. The paintings in the project bump into social issues in the city, with a particular focus on perceptions of people experiencing homelessness and people with a refugee background.

Iain is best known for his painting, “Our Last Supper”, featuring thirteen guests of Glasgow City Mission. He has also painted for Christian Aid, The World Council of Churches, and has worked on a series of paintings for Tearfund’s 50th anniversary, after visiting their projects in Nepal.  

He has also had painted live at events like Greenbelt, the Solas Festival, and the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly.

idcampbell.com

facebook.com/IDCampbellArt

twitter.com/idcampbellart

instagram.com/i.d.campbell

Iman Tajik and Jonas Jessen Hansen are the founders of the Who is? Project. 

The Who is? Project is an ongoing art project which aims to tackle issues around immigration systems and globalisation. It has been created as a space for open conversation surrounding the current European migrant crisis. Symbolised by a white flag embellished with the words “Who are they? Who are we?”, the profound display of artworks will speak about the invisible borders that the human race have managed to create throughout history. After the EU referendum and the US election, the flags will act as a catalyst to discuss global division and the “growing fear of the stranger”.

Interested in hosting the flag? Email info@whoisproject.co.uk 
More info on http://whoisproject.co.uk/

Ken Gorden is a Scottish podcast maker, best known for his podcast channel Refugee Voices Scotland. He has made more than 100 podcasts and made most of his biggest podcasting mistakes when making podcasts for work for Enterprise Europe Network Scotland. He still makes mistakes because that’s how you learn stuff (he says).

His hobbies include bouldering and teaching and performing improv comedy. His ambitions include mastering Mandarin and making shortbread like his mum did.

Refugee Voices Scotland is a channel that aims to capture refugee stories. Not sob stories, but actual stories about New Scots, their interests and ambitions. The podcast follows a loose format, where Ken asks his interviewees what they would like to talk about and the conversation flows on from there.

Curious what that is all about? Head to our podcast section to find out more.

Martha Orbach is an artist who tells stories through drawing, printmaking and animation. She has an ongoing interest in how we build a home and are affected by our environment.

She’s one half of Printwalks – a landscape based printmaking collaboration with Catherine Orbach. They have developed an open printmaking practice which allows them to collaborate with groups and communities. They created The Garden, a print series about plants, gardens and rebuilding life after torture. This was commissioned by the Open Society Foundation and made  in collaboration with members of Room to Heal from Cameroon, Turkey, Madagascar, and Cote D’Ivoire, and psychotherapist Mary Raphaely.

Mary and Martha coordinated the therapeutic gardening programme at Room to Heal – exploring how plants and gardens can help survivors of torture and other forms of organised violence start a new life in the UK.

Habitat was a print project, made and exhibited at Glasgow Botanic Gardens, 2018. It focused on the plants which remind us of home and was a collaboration with Maryhill Integration Network, and Govan Community Project, and funded by the Friends of Glasgow Botanic Gardens.

Martha is currently working on White Out - an animated story about a man and his brain, made in collaboration with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neuroscience and a plant based series called Orientation about how plants help locate ourselves in this world.

Previous project this skin we’re in, was shown at the Bethlem Gallery and won a fringe award at Deptford X 2014 - London’s Contemporary Arts Festival. Her book project We go to Sea with You was launched 2013, and is on sale at the bookarts bookshop. She was awarded the ‘Word and Image’ Prize at the V&A Inspired By… competition 2011.

Martha is a certified plant geek, training with the RHS in 2015. She co-ran Culpeper Community Garden, awarded a National Certificate of Distinction by the RHS and judged “an outstanding example of community gardening in the city .. social and therapeutic horticulture at its best.” She currently coordinates the gardening programme for Maryhill Integration Network.

She would describe herself as a mongrel, born in England to English, Irish, Jewish, Hungarian parents, she grew up in Wales and now lives in Glasgow. Her Grandmother had to leave Hungary before the war and said ‘you sort of get used to not being from anywhere.’

She studied at Camberwell College of Art, London College of Communication, and the University of East Anglia.

“Accomplished, original and beguiling.”
Gill Saunders, V&A

Mbizo Chirasha is a Zimbabwean poet, who writes spoken word poetry, page poetry, essays, short and flash fiction, political commentaries, book reviews, memoirs, critical reviews, blog posts and articles. He is also a spoken word artist and a performance poet.

His main artistic interest is in freedom of expression, resistance writings and arts, Arts and Human Rights, African cultural anthropologies, global politics, lives and experiences of exile, asylees and the homeless, the plight of the girl child, women and the elderly, social justice and economic equity as well as voices against dictatorial regimes, corruption, warlords and drug cartels.

You can read his inspirational Artistic Statement on his website.  

Mbizo joined the network to share his writings and artistic scope to a wider community, to learn from other artists, activists and writers who are also part of the UNESCO Chair project. He hopes to link up with the global literary art’s cultural community, incite conversations, debate and dialogue on issues attached to humanity and arts, to use art activism as a method to communicate generational, political, social, economic and moral issues. If you are interested in discussing artistic management, literary arts ideas and cultural development issues with him, please email unesco-rila@glasgow.ac.uk or contact him directly through his website or his LinkedIn profile.

He current projects are:

• Curated and Edited "Voices of Africa - A call for freedom". More information and to order the book: https://www.ihraf.org/ihraf-books 
• Collection of Essays, Poetry and Reflections of his COVID 19 and Exile experiences.
• Multi-genre collection DICTATORS DOEKS, which is also due to come out soon.
• Brave Voices Poetry Journal, a digital literary arts culture Republic featuringResistance Poetry and Voices of Mass Instruction. Speaking hard truths to abusers of power. Curious? You can read this online journal here: https://bravevoicespress.home.blog/
• TIME OF THE POET REPUBLIC JOURNAL, An internet based poetry center, archiving theme based digital poetry anthologies and profiling iconic poets and writers: https://timeofthepoetrepublic.wordpress.com/
• WOMAWORDS LITERARY PRESS, a platform to exhibit women of literary arts prowess and revolutionary sister comrades defying ugly odds of barbarism, chauvinism and savagery to positively change their communities through artistic resistance: https://womawordsliterary.wordpress.com/
• Digital WOMEN WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS Conference, to be held at the end of the year.

Mbizo Chirasha CV

Mbizo Chirasha is the Poet in Residence at the Fictional Café (International publishing and literary digital space), 2019 Sotambe Festival Live Literature Hub and Poetry Café Curator. 2019 African Fellow for the International Human Rights Art Festival, Essays Contributor to Monk Art and Soul Magazine in United Kingdom and Arts Features Writer at the International Cultural Weekly.

His profile, interview and poems are featured on Poiesis in Slovenia. He is Founder and Chief Editor of WOMAWORDS LITERARY PRESS. Founder and Curator of the Brave Voices Poetry Journal. Co-Editor of Street Voices Poetry triluangal collection (English, African languages and German) initiated by Andreas Weiland in Germany. Poetry Contributor to AtunisPoetry.com in Albania. African Contributor to DemerPress International Poetry Book Series in Netherlands. African Contributor to the World Poetry Almanac Poetry Series in Mongolia.

His latest 2019 collection of experimental poetry A LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT was released by Mwanaka Media and Publishing and is both in print, on Amazon and is featured at African Books Collective.

Mbizo Chirasha is the Originator of the Zimbabwe We Want Poetry Campaign. Founder and Creative Director of Girl Child Talent Festival and GirlChildCreativity Project. 2003 Young Literary Arts Delegate to the Göteborg International Book Fair Sweden (SIDA AFRICAN PAVILION). 2009 Poet in Residence of the International Conference of African Culture and Development (ICACD) in Ghana. The Vice President of Poets of the WORLD, African Region. Global Peace Chain Ambassador. 2009 Fellow to the inaugural UNESCO - Africa Photo – Novel Publishers and Writers Training in Tanzania. 2015 Artist in Residence of the Shunguna Mutitima International Film and Arts Festival in Livingstone, Zambia.

A globally certified literary arts influencer, Writer in Residence and Recipient of the EU-Horn of Africa Defend Defenders Protection Fund Grant, Recipient of the Pen Deutschland Exiled Writer Grant. He is an Arts for Peace and Human Rights Catalyst, the Literary Arts Projects Curator, Poet, Writer, publicist is published in more than 200 spaces in print and online.

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 entitle ‘Obaa Sima’ Virtuous Woman on display at Kelvingrove Museum and Arts Gallery. 

MPhil Thesis

Decolonising African costume and textiles: Naming, symbols and meaning in the Ghanaian context [Naa Densua Tordzro]

• MIDEQ Website
• Thesis
• Digital Textile Exhibition

Textiles travel with people and to people. This work which has found an intellectual home in MIDEQ and the UNESCO RILA Chair at the University of Glasgow. It is based on  practice led research over several years culminating in MIDEQ Researcher Naa Densua’s work in WP11 and with textiles in the Ghana China, Malaysia Nepal corridors, as well as for the UNESCO Chair at University of Glasgow.

Nii-Tete Yartey is a highly accomplished and versatile artist with extensive experience in dance, choreography, teaching, and artistic direction. He holds a Master of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Ghana, as well as a Diploma in Dance Studies from the same institution. Nii-Tete's passion for dance and the arts has led him to excel in various roles and collaborate with artists and organizations both locally and internationally.

As the Director of Noyam African Dance Institute since 2015, and the Creative Director of NTY-Studios, Nii-Tete has honed his leadership skills while nurturing a vibrant creative community. Notably, from 2013 to 2018, he served as the Artistic Director of the National Dance Company of Ghana, Ghana Dance Ensemble, where he showcased his artistic vision and expertise in crafting captivating performances.

Nii-Tete's choreographic talent has garnered recognition both locally and internationally. He has choreographed for prestigious events such as the Annual Osageyfo Awards, the 10th-anniversary celebration of Mediterranean Shipping Company, and Ghana's 60th Independence Day Celebrations. Additionally, his collaborations with international artists, in productions like "Niyati", "Agoro” and “ Chain Stories," exemplify his ability to bridge cultural boundaries through dance.

While establishing himself as a prominent figure in the dance world, Nii-Tete remains deeply committed to education. Since 2019, he has been imparting his knowledge and expertise as a lecturer and dance workshop facilitator at the Design and Technology Institute. Moreover, his teaching experience extends to universities such as the University of California, Irvine, where he served as a workshop coordinator, Ohio University as a visiting artist and the University of Dubuque as a guest lecturer. As a Graduate Assistant at the University of Ghana, he has also played a crucial role in shaping the next generation of dancers.

Alongside his remarkable achievements, Nii-Tete Yartey is currently pursuing a Ph.D., delving into the fascinating field of migration culture and dance. Through his research, he aims to explore how migration influences cultural expressions through movement and its profound impact on the artistic landscape. By shedding light on this important topic, Nii-Tete aspires to contribute to the understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures and their embodiment in dance forms.

Nii-Tete's contributions to the dance community extend beyond choreography and education. He has made notable appearances in television commercials and films, showcasing his versatility as a performer. Notably, his judging role on the popular talent show "Talented Kids" highlights his ability to recognize and nurture young artistic talents.

Nii-Tete Yartey's remarkable career trajectory, combined with his dedication to education, international collaborations, and ongoing Ph.D. research on migration culture and dance, solidifies his position as a respected and influential figure in the realm of dance and choreography. His unwavering passion for the arts, commitment to cultural exchange, and exploration of migration's impact on dance continue to shape and enrich the artistic landscape in Ghana and beyond.

‌‌OLFA BEN ALI
VISUAL ARTIST - FILM MAKER
FOUNDER OF RE FUSE  MAGAZINE.

www.olfabenali.com
www.refusemagazine.com
info@olfabenali.com

“Human perfection is only in the imagination – in the desire for another reality.”

Olfa Ben Ali was born in a suburb of Toulouse, France as the daughter of Tunisian immigrants. Being raised between these two cultures has fundamentally influenced her artistic work. In her films and videos she combines a documentary approach with a strong poetic atmosphere and imagery, that embodies the contrast between the world the immigrant has left behind and the alien world of the new “home” country, that has adopted him/her. By shifting thematically from the political to the emotional, the friction and tension that the immigrant is faced with, is given a voice.

Olfa Ben Ali lives and works in Amsterdam, where she received her bachelor of art from the renowned Gerrit Rietveld Academy in 2012. During the last 4 years, she has been following, documenting and observing refugees in Amsterdam, Lesbos, Calais, Dunkerk.

RE FUSE Magazine

Re|fuse is an avant-garde magazine with the soul of an artist and the face of a refugee. It hijacks the language of fashion to encourage an honest and passionate exchange mediated by visual art among people who were brought together under extreme circumstances.

It is based on an original idea by Olfa Ben Ali, awardwinning visual artist whose roots extend in Europe and Afrika, the continents that are brought together by the Mediterranean Sea.

This same sea that on most people’s minds is linked to vacation sites has become the silent witness of the crossing of thousands of refugees to Europe.The people who are stripped of their dignity as they are asked to hand over their wet clothes to the boarder police when they reach the Mediterranean shores.

Re|fuse sees in these clothes a flow of inspiration: trends, styles that come out of places like Aleppo, Khabul and Baghdad emerge as a kaleisdoscopic image of fragments of stories and images of the people who dare to dream in the face of tragedy.

RE FUSE is made with the collaboration of Pieter Leendertse (KesselsKramer) and features contributions of Ai Wei Wei, Lucy Orta, Barbara Visser, Tammam Azzam, Blommers / Schumm and many others.

To see Paria's contribution to COP26, please click here.

Paria goodarzi  is an Iranian visual Artist  and social art practitioner based in Glasgow. Her work revolves around cultural and political transfers and translocations, the idea of the contemporary human condition, cultural identity and political issues that result in an ambivalent coexistence of civilised life, conflict and displacement. 

Paria Goodarzi's work responds to contemporary, cultural and political aporias by examining the hybrid condition of our society and the processes of formation, performance and representation of identity through a multidisciplinary praxis that often takes the shape of collaborative, participatory and socially-engaged artworks.

​She co-founded  an art initiative under the name ‘Distanced Assemblage’, focused on community and socially engaged art practice; developing a series of collaborative projects that examine ideas of cultural appropriation and belonging by altering the meaning, function and contexts of cultural artefacts, symbols or actions to make a positive impact in the long-term wellbeing and visibility of minority groups within our ever-changing society.

For more information: 

pariagoodarzi.com

distancedassemblage.com

'In-Between' (2020)

Pieter van der Houwen is a documentary photographer and filmmaker. Based in both the UK and The Netherlands. He has worked extensively on the African continent. His work in numerous African countries triggered his interest in the African Diaspora. He is especially interested in the impact of remittances and how development and poverty reduction can be linked to migration. (The so-called migration development nexus).

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Publications

Producer, co photographer and Chief Editor: ETEN ZA/NL. A book on the Dutch influences and the origins of South African food. Produced in conjunction with photography students from both The Netherlands and South Africa.

Initiator and Chief editor: INTIMATE CHINA. Special issue of Onze Wereld (Our World). Produced with MA students from the University of Art and Design, China. Surrounding the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. Winner of the Golden Mercur Magazine Prize.

Photographer: DOMESTIC CHINESE TOURISM. Two major publications on the emerging domestic tourism in China, Onze Wereld and De Volkskrant.

Photographer and Producer: RESILIENCE. A visual report on reconstruction, six months after the Tsunami, consisting of a book and an interactive website. Book designed by Eric Kessels, Kesselskramer, Amsterdam.

Initiator and Photographer: African Tabloid. A photographic documentation of the lives of five young educated Ugandans, before and after the first free elections. Various publications. Download African Tabloid here

Visual Editor and Curator: Motherhood. Special issue on Motherhood in different cultures around the world. Publication and exhibition.

Photographer and contributor: 4 AFRICA. A publication initiated by the International Committee of the Red Cross. This publication was successful in countering the pejorative and negative imagery that Africa has historically been subjected to.

Photographer: IN SEARCH OF A TYRANT. A book on Idi Amin. Written by Marc Broere. Producer and photographer: Unlikely Heroes. A book on the dynamics of sport in Africa, primarily focusing on the repercussions of fame and wealth within each athlete’s community. Written by Marc Broere.

Photographer: FOOTBALL AFRICA. A book on African football, published by the Royal Tropical Institute Amsterdam. Winner of the Dick Scherpenzeel Prize.

DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Writer, Researcher, Producer, Director: Mad Men Nigeria: A documentary investigating “The Africa Rising” phenomenon by portraying the largest African owned advertising agency in Africa. (in pre production) Director, Cameraman:

The Homecoming, A short documentary portraying four migrant communities in Glasgow. Writer, Researcher, Director:

The Africa China Connection. A documentary portraying the African community in Guangzhou China. 

Writer, Researcher, Director: PEACE OUTSOURCED. A documentary portrait of the UN contingent in East Congo. Interakt Productions Amsterdam (Pre Production)

Co Producer: LANDSCAPES UNKNOWN (II). A documentary about three contemporary artists including the famous Malian photographer Malik Sidibé. Winner of the prestigious Dutch film prize The Golden Calf. 16mm, 50 mins, Allegri Film, The Netherlands.

Writer and Director: THROUGH DUTCH EYES. A documentary film on contemporary Dutch photography, focusing on Dana Lixenberg, a Dutch photographer based in New York. Shot in New York, Los Angeles and Indiana. Super 16mm, 50 min, NPS television, The Netherlands.

Writer and Director: STAND AND DELIVER. A documentary film following the debut performance of a young stand up comedian. 30 min, Arte Television, Germany and France.

Writer and Director: OPA BREED IN PAK (GRANDDAD WIDE IN SUIT). A documentary about a fatherless young girl who tries to come to terms with the death of her beloved grandfather. Winner of the Dutch Academy Awards for Television. 30 min, VPRO Television, The Netherlands.

I'm a writer, poet, playwright, dancer and actor. I was born in Jamaica, moved to the UK at the age of ten, attended school in Manchester, moved to Birmingham for higher education and, despite several attempts to leave, still live in this amazingly diverse city. Please read more on my website http://predencia.co.uk.

In April 2023, I completed my PhD at the University of Birmingham, researching the changing approaches to death rituals in Jamaica, and in the Jamaican diaspora in the UK. I have a passion for metaphysics; most of my musings can be found on my blog Writing Creatively With Spirit (https://writingcreativelywithspirit.com/).

As a member of the multi-national, multilingual writers group Writers Without Borders (https://wwborg.wordpress.com/), I contribute to the blog and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/wwbbirmingham/). 

‌

My name is Ricky Dragon and I am a Rapper known as The Wandarin Dragon. I reside in Birmingham City in the UK.

I have recorded two albums in my lifetime. The Style of the Ten Tigers and soon to be released...Wandarin Dragon.

I am also a Poet for those who know it, and I am also a published Author of Tales of the Dragon...and Breath of the Dragon. I have as well written a collection of Children's Stories told in Rhyme soon to be published and available.

In my spare time...I occasionally record Radio Ads for various businesses...public and community events...charities...cultural events and music shows.

I have performed for numerous events in the City of London and in Scotland and am extremely proud to be able to be part of the UNESCO Chair team as a modern artist who attempts to express their views of our Humanity through the medium of Words.

I Thank the reader for having found me.

May you live as long as you want...

and may you never want as long as you live.

Ricky Dragon Facebook

@wandarindragon Twitter

wandarindragon@icloud.com

Latest activities:

- October 2018: Three week rap/poetry/history workshop with the students of St Johns Ward in Handsworth.

- October 2018: Rap workshop, poetry performance and presentation on Modern Alternative African Traditions.

- October 2018: Performance at Dudley Probation Service in Dudley Birmingham.

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Dr Rim Irscheid is a curator, artist, and postdoctoral fellow at King’s College researching curatorial activism across sound art, experimental music and diaspora archival projects from Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt. Combining textual elements (felt, leather, chalk, steel), notes, and field recordings, her artistic practice explores the paradox of German 'Leitkultur' and ambivalent feelings of alienation, belonging, and lived experiences of German citizens of Palestinian heritage. She holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology & Curatorial Practice from King's College London, a Master’s degree in Musicology from the University of Oxford and a joint honours BA in Musicology and Psychology from the University of Heidelberg.

Website: rim-irscheid.com
Instagram: @rim-irscheid
Rim's research profile

Image: Rim's art at the UNESCO RILA Spring School: The Arts of Integrating 2024

Sadie Durkacz Ryan is a podcaster and linguist from Scotland.

As a linguist, she researches how we used language to construct identity: her PhD research involved working with teenagers from Poland who had moved to the East End of Glasgow, and looking at how they used language in school and with their friends. In 2020 she started work as a Research Associate on the Manchester Voices project at Manchester Metropolitan University.

As a podcaster, she makes Accentricity, a independent podcast which aims to bridge the gap between academic knowledge about language and people’s everyday linguistic experiences.

Accentricity is made by four people: Sadie Ryan (writer, producer and presenter), John McDiarmid (editor) and Seb Philp (music). Martha Ryan looks after the podcast’s social media and finance.

Sadie started making Accentricity while she was doing a PhD in linguistics at the University of Glasgow. She wanted to use podcasting to explore the connections between who we are and how we speak, and to bridge the gap between academic knowledge about language and people’s everyday linguistic experiences. She started recording interviews on her phone, learning the skills she needed and upgrading her equipment as she went, and in January 2019 she launched Accentricity.

During 2019, the podcast gained international recognition: it was featured in iTunes’ New and Notable section (UK), on the Radio Public platform (USA), and by The Bello Collective (USA), who included it on their worldwide list of the 100 best podcasts of 2019. By the end of 2019, it was being used as a teaching resource in schools, universities and language classrooms in the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Poland, Germany, Japan and Australia, and in early 2020 it was added to the Lyceum Podcasts catalogue, a curated list of the best educational audio content. In May 2020, it was nominated for Best New Podcast at the British Podcast Awards, and in July 2020 it won Steady’s Independent Media Academy Award.

Sadie now splits her time between Glasgow and Manchester, and is working on series 2, a collaborative project featuring stories of migration, language and identity from around the world. You can follow the podcast @accentricitypod on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Take me to the external Accentricity page please.

Sawsan Al-Areeqe is a poet and filmmaker from Yemen. She is the author of four poetry collections. The Square of Pain was the subject of a documentary film as a graduation project (Sana’a 2004). More Than Necessary received the Literature Award from Lebanon (2007). What if My Blood Turned into Chocolate won the Creative Award in Sana’a (2011). Her fourth collection, Expired Death, was written during her APF Fellowship in Glasgow University (2018|2019). Previously, Sawsan held a writer’s residence position in the USA, following an invitation from Iowa University’s International Writing Program (2013).

She is the winner of the British Council’s 2010 Zoom Film Contest for her short Prohibited, the (Special Jury Prize) at the 2012 Meknes International Film Festival, (The Best Idea) at the 2014 Teba Short Films Festival in Egypt, (The Main Theme) at 2018 in Italy and (Award of Merit) at 2018 in Canada for her short Photo. Participated in her short Daughter of the Sea at the 2011 Liverpool Arabic Film Festival. Sawsan was selected to participate as a member in the committee of arbitration in the Arab Short Films Festival in Morocco 2013. Recently, she was chosen with the selection team for the International Spot Shot Films Festival 2021.